liiiPPlil-iiJ^liliiiiii 


:it«»^' 


,"r^«oA'"i"('i/(/J 


lis  ■ 


»t\v-:-VVx' 


11 

ijo'l^ 

Bn 

A  ft  BBBflODDBI 

**jHBHnBBffffl 

s 

BB 

■r^'V; 


Charles  l^NBEiiLlibwNSEND  M.D. 


LIBRARY 

tiivcrsity  of 
California 
Irvine 


7/ 


F 

CJJ 


MAS.ELAURIATco"^ 


=^^.^ 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/captaincartwrighOOcart 


CAPTAIN  CART  WRIGHT  AND  HIS 
LABRADOR  JOURNAL 


W.  Hiltou,  Pinxt.  T.  Medland,  Sculp. 

Captain  Cartwright  Visiting  His  Fox-traps 

Frontispiece 


Captain   Cartwright 

AND    HIS 

LABRADOR  JOURNAL 


EDITED   BY 

CHARLES  WENDELL  TOWNSEND,  M.  D. 

Author  of  "Along  the  Labrapor  Coast,"  "A  Labrador 

Spring,"  "The  Birds  of  Essex  County,"  and  joint 

author  of  "Birds  of  Labrador" 


WITH   AN   INTRODUCTION   BY 
DR.    WILFRED    T.    GRENFELL 

Illusiralions  from  Old  Engravings,  Photographs, 
and  a  Map 


BOSTON 

DANA    ESTES    &    COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 

1911 


Copyright,  1911 
By  Dana  Estks  &  Company 

All  rights  reserved 


Electrotyped  and  Printed  by 
THE  COLONIAL  PRESS 
C.  H.  Simonds  &  Co.,  Boston,  U.S. A, 


INTRODUCTION 

BV 

DR.    GRENFELL 

Having  been  myself  long  familiar  with  the  ad- 
mirable diaries  of  Captain  Cartwright,  and  hav- 
ing received  no  little  personal  inspiration  from 
them,  I  have  often  regretted  they  were  not  within 
reach  of  more  men  of  the  present  day,  I  have 
even  gone  so  far  as  to  try  and  set  time  enough 
aside  to  do  a  work  mj^self  that  it  had  not  pleased 
any  one  else  to  do.  I  firmly  believe,  however,  it 
is  only  the  scarcity  of  copies,  and  the  little  knowl- 
edge of  them,  that  has  led  to  their  not  being  pre- 
viously published.  Thus  it  may  readily  be  con- 
ceived liow  gladly  I  learned  that  Dr.  Townsend 
had  undertaken  this  labour  of  love— a  work  I  con- 
sider altogether  worthy  of  commendation.  There 
are  too  few  classics  of  the  type  of  Borrow 's 
"  Bible  in  Spain  "  and  White's  ''  Natural  His- 
tory of  Selbourno  "  that  picture  so  clearly  and 
obviously  truthfully,  the  struggles  and  trials,  the 
joys  and  interests  of  a  very  human  being— such 
as  most  of  us  find  ourselves  to  be.  This  book  does 
not  conventionally  portray  the  life  of  a  saint,  but 
faithfully  depi<'ts  that  of  a  sinner— a  class  of 
})ooks  perhayjs  likely  to  do  just  as  much  good  — 
being  more   interesting   and    therefore   likely  to 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

reach  further,  even  if  it  would  be  classed  by  some 
as  not  so  directly  edifying  to  the  soul.  The  Jour- 
nals are  a  concise  illustration  of  the  enterprise, 
pluck,  perseverance,  self-reliance  and  stoicism  of 
the  old  English  stock.  Cartwright  is  even  more 
than  candid  in  the  revelation  of  his  own  derelic- 
tions. But  his  carefully  recorded  series  of  facts 
about  himself  and  the  country  paint  a  graphic 
picture  which  leaves  one's  mind  informed  and 
stimulated.  It  is,  moreover,  valuable,  if  for  noth- 
ing else,  for  its  contrast  with  the  style  of  the 
journalistic  records  of  passing  events  in  the  mod- 
ern press,  where  a  minimimi  of  fact  is  made  the 
basis  for  a  maximum  of  letter  press,  so  that  the 
oculist  rather  than  the  mind  or  spirit  benefits 
from  the  search  for  knowledge.  Personally  I 
feel  very  grateful  for  an  accessible  edition  of 
these  Journals.  It  would  be  a  distinct  loss  to 
literature  if  they  were  permitted  to  disappear. 
It  strikes  me  as  somewhat  appropriate  this  fore- 
word should  be  written  from  the  home  of  the 
gallant  Captain  himself. 

Wilfred  Grenfell,  M.  D.,  M.  A.,  etc. 

Oct.  6,  1909. 
S.  S.  Strathcona. 

Cartwright,  Labrador. 


PREFACE 

Before  my  first  A'isit  to  Labrador  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1906,  I  came  upon  the  Journal  of  Captain 
George  Cartwright,  published  in  Newark,  Eng- 
land, in  1792,  detailing  his  experiences  during  a 
residence  of  nearly  sixteen  years  on  that  inhos- 
pita])le  but  interesting  coast.  I  found  it  to  be  a 
mine  of  vahiable  information  and  acute  observa- 
tions on  many  subjects  connected  with  Labrador 
and  Labrador  life  and  adventure,  including  ac- 
counts of  the  birds  and  beasts  that  he  hunted  and 
tra2:>ped,  and  of  the  people,  both  Eskimo  and  In- 
dian, all  told  with  a  fidelity  to  truth  that  cannot 
be  doubted. 

Cartwright's  tact  and  judgment  in  dealing  with 
the  Eskimos,  who  had  formerly  been  negotiated 
by  the  Europeans  only  at  the  musket's  mouth,  and 
his  uniform  justice  in  his  treatment  of  them,  to- 
gether with  his  interesting  account  of  their  cus- 
toms and  of  their  behaviour  both  in  Labrador  and 
at  the  coui*t  of  King  George  the  Tliird,  are  all 
admii'ablc. 

Ilis  account  of  the  habits  of  polar  bears  and 
beavers  studied  under  exceptionally  favourable 
r-ii'dimstances,  his  obser\^ations  on  the  caribou, 
on  wr)lves,  otters,  wolverines  and  other  fur-bear- 
ers, and  mi  many  species  of  water-birds,  iueluding 


PREFACE 


the  long  extinct  great  auk,  as  well  as  his  notes  on 
matters  botanical,  are  all  of  exceeding  interest. 

His  treatment  of  labour  difficulties,  his  adven- 
tures with  American  privateers  during  the  Revo- 
lution and  the  side-light  he  throws  on  the  char- 
acter of  Benedict  Arnold,  with  whom  he  happened 
to  share  a  cabin  on  a  voyage  to  England,  are  all 
interesting;  but  above  all  one  admires  his  keen 
sense  of  honour  and  his  cheerful  philosophy  that 
cling  to  him  in  his  numerous  misfortunes. 

The  care  with  which  his  observations  are  made, 
his  avoidance  of  exaggeration  and  his  evident  in- 
tention to  state  the  truth  as  clearly  as  he  could, 
together  with  his  excellent  judgment,  make  these 
volumes  of  great  value  and  ever  increasing  inter- 
est, as  they  deal  with  conditions  many  of  which 
are  now  passed  for  ever. 

Intermingled  with  these  interesting  parts  is 
much  that  is  of  necessity  tedious  and  of  little  in- 
terest to  the  general  reader,  and  much  that  is 
mere  repetition,  for  the  Journal,  of  over  one  thou- 
sand pages,  in  three  large  quarto  volumes,  is  the 
every-day  record  of  Cartwright's  life,  put  down 
without  embellishment  evidently  for  his  own  con- 
venience, and,  as  he  himself  says,  with  no  thought 
of  publication.  The  volumes  are  now  rare,  and, 
in  this  age  of  hurry,  few  would  care  to  wade 
through  the  great  body  of  the  work  for  the  sake 
of  the  plums. 

In  the  following  pages  I  have  reproduced  the 
Journal  without  any  changes  in  the  wording, 
spelling  or  punctuation,  omitting  only  the  unim- 


PREFACE  xi 


portaut  details  and  the  mass  of  repetition.  Occa- 
sionally, only,  have  I  introdnced,  but  always  in 
brackets,  a  few  words  of  my  own  to  explain  any 
omissions.  I  have  also  added  in  foot-notes  from 
time  to  time  explanatory  comments,  and  have 
given  as  far  as  possible  the  common  and  scientific 
names  of  the  beasts,  birds  and  plants  mentioned. 
In  interpreting  the  names  as  given  by  Cartwright, 
I  have  been  aided  by  finding  many  of  them  still 
in  use  on  the  Labrador  coast,  and  also  by  the  fact 
that  Cartwright  often  uses,  very  naturally,  the 
names  of  allied  or  similar  species  in  England.  All 
of  the  animals  and  plants  mentioned,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few  extinct  species,  are  known  to 
occur  in  Labrador  to-day.  As  these  names  are 
often  repeated  a  reference  to  the  index  will  show 
the  page  where  the  explanatory  notes  occur. 
Cartwright 's  notes  are  indicated  by  asterisks, 
mine  by  numerals.  Many  of  the  unusual  words 
are  explained  in  Cartwright 's  ''  Glossan^,"  also 
entered  in  the  index. 

I  wish  to  express  my  thanks  to  Mr.  "Walter 
Deane  for  assistance  in  the  identification  of  the 
plants  and  to  Dr.  Glover  M.  Allen  in  the  identi- 
fication of  the  mammals  and  fishes.  I  am  also 
indebted  for  some  of  the  photographs  of  the  Lab- 
rador coast  to  Drs.  W.  P.  Bolles,  W.  R.  MacAus- 
land  and  Clover  M.  Allen. 

A  brief  account  of  the  family  history  and  of  the 
life  of  Captain  Cartwright  subsequent  to  his  resi- 
dence in  Labrador  —  he  himself  gives  his  earlier 
life  —  is  to  be  found  in  the  introduction. 


xii  PEEFACE 


Perhaps  no  more  interesting  picture  of  the  man 
himself,  nor  any  better  praise  for  his  Journal  can 
be  found  than  that  in  the  following  from  the  poet 
Southey,  which  I  have  already  quoted  in  ''  Along 
the  Labrador  Coast,"  but  it  is  worth  quoting 
again : 

'*  I  saw  Major  Cartwright  (the  sportsman,  not 
the  patriot)  in  1791.  I  was  visiting  with  the 
Lambs,  at  Hampstead,  in  Kent,  at  the  house  of 
Hodges,  his  brother-in-law;  we  had  nearly  fin- 
ished dinner  when  he  came  in.  He  desired  the 
servant  to  cut  liim  a  plate  of  beef  from  the  side- 
board. I  thought  the  footman  meant  to  insult 
him:  the  plate  was  piled  to  a  height  which  no 
ploughboy  after  a  hard  day's  fasting  could  have 
levelled;  but  the  moment  he  took  up  his  knife 
and  fork  and  arranged  the  plate,  I  saw  this  was 
no  common  man.  A  second  and  third  supply  soon 
vanished.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lamb,  who  had  never 
before  seen  him,  glanced  at  each  other;  but  Tom 
and  I,  with  school  boys'  privilege,  kept  our  eyes 
riveted  upon  him  with  what  Doctor  Butt  would 
have  called  the  gaze  of  admiration.  *  I  see  you 
have  been  looking  at  me  '  (said  he,  when  he  had 
done).  '  I  have  a  very  great  appetite.  I  once  fell 
in  with  a  stranger  in  the  shooting  season  and  we 
dined  together  at  an  inn.  There  was  a  leg  of  mut- 
ton which  he  did  not  touch.  I  never  make  more 
than  two  cuts  off  a  leg  of  mutton;  the  first  takes 
all  one  side,  the  second  all  the  other;  and  when 
I  had  done  this,  I  laid  the  bone  across  my  knife 
for  the  marrow.     The  stranger  could  refrain  no 


PREFACE  xiii 


longer.  "  By  Uocl,  siiy'  said  he,  "I  never  saw 
a  man  eat  like  you."  ' 

"  This  man  had  strength  and  perseverance 
charactered  in  every  muscle.  He  eat  three  cucum- 
bers, with  a  due  quantity  of  bread  and  cheese,  for 
his  breakfast  the  following  morning.  I  was  much 
pleased  with  him,  he  was  good-humoured  and  com- 
municative; his  long  residence  on  the  Labrador 
coast  made  his  conversation  as  instructive  as  in- 
teresting. I  had  never  before  seen  so  extraordi- 
nary a  man,  and  it  is  not  therefore  strange  that 
my  recollection  of  his  manner,  and  w^ords,  and 
countenance  should  be  so  strong  after  an  interval 
of  six  years. 

''  I  read  his  book  in  1793,  and,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  actually  read  through  the  three  quartos. 
At  that  time,  I  wsls  a  verbatim  reader  of  indefat- 
igable patience,  but  the  odd  simplicity  of  the  book 
amused  me  —  the  importance  he  attached  to  his 
traps  delighted  me,  it  w^as  so  unlike  a  book  written 
for  the  world  —  the  solace  of  a  solitan'-  evening  in 
Labrador.  I  fancied  him  blockaded  by  the  snow^s, 
rising  from  a  meal  upon  the  old,  tough,  high- 
flavoured,  hard-sine^ved  ^volf,  and  sitting  down 
like  "Robinson  Crusoe  to  his  Journal. 

*'  Tlie  annals  of  his  campaigns  among  the  foxes 
and  beavers  interested  me  more  than  ever  did  tlie 
exploits  of  ^farlborough  or  Frederic;  besides,  I 
saw  plain  truth  and  the  heart  in  Cartwright's 
book,  and  in  w^hat  history  rould  T  look  foi-  this"? 

**  The  print  is  an  exrollent  likeness.  TiOt  me 
add  that  whoever  would  know  the  real  historv  of 


xiv  PREFACE 


the  beaver  must  look  for  it  in  this  work.  The 
common  accounts  are  fables. 

"  Coleridge  took  up  a  volmne  one  day,  and  was 
delighted  with  its  strange  simplicity." 

Cartwright  reveals  himself  in  these  pages  as  a 
lover  of  the  truth,  a  good  observer  and  hard 
worker,  a  philosopher  in  good  fortune  and  in  ill 
fortune,  a  resourceful  man  in  many  trying  experi- 
ences, and  above  all  a  man  of  strict  honour  and 
justice.  In  a  larger  field  he  might  have  attained 
great  eminence.  The  memory  of  his  labours  and 
observations  in  Labrador  are  well  worth  cherish- 
ing. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

IXTRODUCTION   BY   Dr.    GrENFELL vH 

Preface  by  Editor ix 

Introduction'  by  Editor xix 

Explanation  of  the  Frontispiece 3 

Preface  to  the  Journal 5 

The  First  Voyage 13 

The  Second  Voyage 132 

The  Third  Voyage 148 

The  Fourth  Voyage 213 

The  Fifth  Voyage 292 

The  Sixth  Voyage 316 

Labrador;    A  Poetical  Epistle 363 

Glossary 373 

Index 381 


List  of  Illustrations 


PAQB 

Captaix  Cartwright  Visiting  His  Fox  -  traps       ,       Frontispiece 

John  Cartwright xxii 

Edmund  Cartwright xxvi 

Black's  Head  Inn,  Nottingham xxx 

"  Crabbed  Spruce  Bushes  "  at  Cape  Charles       ...  32 

Venison  Harbour 32 

Bake  -  apple  and  Labrador  Tea  in  Blossom  at  Cape  Charles  70 

At  the  Mouth  of  Mary  Harbour 82 

Icebergs  on  the  Labrador  Coast 82 

CovENT  Garden  in  1732,  from  an  engraving  attributed  to 

Hogarth 122 

John  Hunter 12G 

Ship  Harbour 158 

The  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  Post  at  Cartwright  at  the 

PRESENT  day 168 

Near  the  Mouth  of  White  Bear  River         .       .       ,       .178 

Looking  South  -  east  from  the  Mouth  of  Eagle  River    .  178 

Spear  Harbour  with  an  Iceberg  at  its  Mouth    .       .       .  208 
Fishing  Schooners  Going  North,  Mealy  Mountains  in  the 

Distance 2r)2 

"  A  Deal  of  Ice  near  the  Land  " 2r)2 

Tumbled  Rocks 2n4 

"  Island  of  Ice  "  at  St.  Francis  Harbour      ....  3o-i 

A  Chart  of  Part  of  the  Coast  of  Labrador 

The  Chart  original  is  34  by  24  inches;  the  small  map  of  the  straits  of  Belle  Isle  inserted 
in  the  lower  loft  lifind  rorncr  of  the  chart  is  a  portion  of  tho  map  of  Newfoundland  pub- 
Ushcd  with  the  oriKinal  Journal- 

The  design  on  the  cover  is  from  a  photograph  of  a  Labrador  racket  or  snow-shoe. 


INTRODUCTION 

BY 

DR.    TOWNSEND 

George  Cartwriglit,  the  second  son  of  William 
Cartwriglit,  was  boni  at  Marnham,  Nottingham- 
shire, England,  on  February  12th  (old  style),  1739. 

One  of  his  ancestors,  Sir  Hugh  Cartwright,  who 
died  in  1656,  married  the  daughter  and  co-heiress 
of  Cartwright,  of  Edingley.  He  was  faithful  to  the 
cause  of  the  unfortunate  Charles,  and  was  one  of 
those  who  made  themselves  responsible  for  the 
debts  contracted  by  the  King  during  the  siege  of 
Newark.  Had  it  not  been  for  this  loyalty  of  Sir 
Hugh  to  the  cause  of  Charles,  it  is  probable  that 
the  Labrador  Journal  would  never  have  been  writ- 
ten, for  the  family  fortunes  were  so  depleted  in 
those  stormv  times  that  George  Cartwright,  in- 
stead of  being  able  to  follow  his  bent  and  live  the 
life  of  a  sporting  English  gentleman,  was  obliged 
to  seek  his  fortunes  over  the  seas  among  the  rocks 
of  Labrador.  Owing  to  this  same  depleted  state 
of  the  family  exchequer,  his  education  was  cut 
short,  and  we  have  in  his  Journal  possibly  a  more 
vigorous  and  less  flowery  record  than  we  might 
have  had  if  George's  education  had  been  embel- 
lished witli  all  the  latest  touches  of  the  age. 

Another  of  the  ancestors  of  the  subject  of  this 
memoir,  Edmund  by  name,  married  the  sister  of 

zix 


XX  INTRODUCTION 

Archbisliop  Cranmer,  which  enured  to  his  tem- 
poral if  not  to  his  spiritual  interests,  as  is  shown 
in  the  following  document:  "  Hee  [Edmund  Cart- 
wright]  was  a  scholar  and  Master  of  Artes  of 
Jesus  College,  Cambridge,  where  hee  was  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  his  countryman  and  fel- 
low student,  Thomas  Cranmer,  son  of  Thomas 
Cranmer,  of  Aslacton,  whose  only  daughter  Cart- 
wright  married:  which  Cranmer,  becoming  after- 
wards Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  tooke  his 
brother  Cartwright  and  sister  into  his  house,  and, 
at  the  dissolution  of  the  abbeys,  provided  for  him 
the  abbey  of  Mauling  in  Kent,  Rowney  in  Bed- 
fordshire, and  Ossington  in  Nottinghamshire, 
which  are  at  this  day  worth  three  thousand  a  year, 
and  married  his  heir,  Hugh,  to  one  of  the  Lord 
Cobham's  daughters." 

The  father  of  our  hero,  William  Cartwright, 
who  married  in  1731  his  cousin  Anne  Cartwright, 
daughter  of  George  Cartwright,  was  a  man  of  very 
considerable  talent  and  energy  of  character.  He 
effected  —  temporarily  it  may  be  added  —  the 
abolition  of  the  practice  of  giving  vails  ^  to  serv- 
ants, which  had  become  an  intolerable  abuse,  and 
to  his  exertions  the  public  are  indebted  for  the 
execution  of  the  work  at  Muskham  near  Newark, 
where  the  road  for  more  than  a  mile  was  preserved 
from  the  effects  of  flood  by  being  carried  over 
thirteen  brick  arches.  It  was  once  observed  of 
William  Cartwright  that  '^  he  had  a  genius  for 
encountering  difficulties,"  and  it  is  evident  that 

» Tips. 


INTRODUCTION  xxi 

some  of  his  sons  inherited  the  same  propensity 
in  no  common  degree.  He  was  blessed  with  five 
sons  and  five  daughters.  The  oldest  son,  William, 
obtained  a  place  in  the  Treasuiy,  but  died  young. 
George  was  the  second  son.  Then  followed  John, 
Edmund  and  Charles. 

John,  the  third  son,  was  born  at  Marnham  on 
September  28,  1740.  At  the  age  of  five  years  he 
was  sent  to  a  grammar  school  at  Newark,  and  later 
to  Heath  Academy  in  Yorkshire.  A  great  part 
of  his  vacations  from  school  w^ere  spent  at  the 
house  of  his  uncle  by  marriage,  John,  Viscount 
Tyrconncl.  Lord  Tyrconnel,  although  eccentric, 
was  a  man  of  learning  and  integrity.  He  w^as  a 
Whig  of  the  old  school,  and  it  is  related  of  him, 
''  that  when  divine  service  was  performing  in  the 
Chapel  at  Belton,  the  old  lord  was  observed  to  be 
greatly  agitated  during  the  reading  of  the  prayer 
for  the  Parliament,  stirring  the  fire  violently,  and 
muttering  impatiently  to  himself,  *  Nothing  but  a 
miracle  can  mend  them. '  "  ^ 

At  the  age  of  eighteen,  in  1758,  John  entered  the 
naval  service  of  his  country,  and  was  present  at 
the  capture  of  Cherbourg,  and  the  destruction  of 
its  naval  basin.  At  this  siege  he  showed  his  cour- 
age and  generosity,  by  leaping  from  the  deck  of 
a  90-gun  ship  under  sail  to  save  the  life  of  a  man 
who  had  fallen  overboard. 

In  1750  he  joined  the  **  ^Fagnanime,"  com- 
manded ))y  Lord  Howe,  whom  he  ever  afterwards 

'  Tho  T/ifo  anri  Corrfspondonro  of  Major  Cartwright.  Edited  by  hifl 
niece,  F.  D.  Cartwright,  London,  1826. 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

regarded  witli  feelings  of  the  greatest  affection 
and  respect.  The  French  fleet  under  Admiral 
Conflans  were  attacked  in  the  great  s€a  fight  of 
November  20th  of  that  year  by  the  English  Ad- 
miral Sir  Edward  Hawke,  and  notwithstanding 
their  knowledge  of  the  coast,  which  enabled  them 
to  retire  to  the  dangerous  shallows  amid  rocks, 
more  than  half  of  their  vessels  were  either  cap- 
tured, disabled  or  driven  ashore.  Of  the  twenty- 
six  men  under  the  command  of  John  Cartwright 
in  this  battle,  thirteen  were  killed,  while  he  es- 
caped with  but  a  slight  scratch  from  a  splinter. 

In  1766  John  was  appointed  by  Sir  Hugh  Pal- 
lisser,  the  Governor  of  Newfoundland,  to  be  his 
deputy  or  surrogate  within  the  district  of  Trin- 
ity and  Conception  Bays,  and  the  following  year 
he  was  made  deputy  commissary  to  the  Vice- 
Admiralty  Court  in  Newfoundland.  Here  he 
served  with  great  efficiency  for  five  years.  During 
this  time  he  explored  the  River  Exploits  to  its 
head- waters,  in  a  lake  named  by  him  Lieutenant's 
Lake.  Poor  health,  however,  obliged  him  to  re- 
linquish the  post  and  he  returned  to  England  in 
1771. 

Such  was  the  spirit  of  fairness  of  the  man  that 
at  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  among  the  Amer- 
ican Colonists,  he  refused  to  accept  a  tempting 
appointment  to  fight  against  a  cause  which  he 
believed  to  be  just.  These  views  of  his  were  first 
expressed  publicly  to  the  world  in  1774,  when  he 
published  a  pamphlet  entitled:  ^*  American  Inde- 
pendence the  Glory  and  Interest  of  England." 


John   Cartwright 


INTRODUCTION  xxiii 

The  full  title  page  of  the  second  edition  of  the 
work  is  interesting  and  furnishes  much  food  for 
reflection  as  to  what  might  have  happened  if 
Great  Britain  had  followed  the  sage  and  far- 
seeing  advice  of  the  author.    It  reads : 


"  AMERICAN  INDEPENDENCE 

THE 

INTEREST  AND  GLORY 

OF 

GREAT  BRITAIN 

A  NEW  EDITION 

To  which  13  added, 

A  copious  APPENDIX,  containing  two  additional  Letters  to  the 
Legislature;  a  Letter  to  EDMUND  BURKE,  Esq.;  controverting  his 
Principles  of  American  Government 

AND 

A  POSTSCRIPT,  containing  new  Arguments  on  the  Subject;  A 
Draught  for  a  Bill  proposed  to  be  brought  into  Parliament  for  restoring 
Peace  and  Harmony  between  Great  Britain  and  British  America,  and  for 
perpetuating  the  same: 

Together  with 

The  essential  Materials  for  a  proposed  Grand  British  LEAGUE  and 
CONFEDERACY,  to  be  entered  into  by  Great  Britain  and  all  the  States 
of  British  America. 

The  whole  of  which  shews,  beyond  Denial  or  Doubt,  that  by  granting 
the  Colonists  an  unrestrained  civil  Freedom  and  Ligidativc  Independence, 
we  may  most  effectually  secure  their  future  (^ovunercud  Dependence  upon, 
and  consequently  shall  best  promote  the  Interest  and  support  the  Glory 
of.  Great  Britain. 


It  is  not  to  be  hoped,  in  the  corrujit  State  of  human  Nature,  that  any 
Nation  will  be  subject  to  another,  any  longer  than  it  find  its  own  Account 
in  it,  and  cannot  help  itself 

No  Creatures  suck  the  Teats  of  their  Dams  longer  than  they  can  draw 
Milk  from  thence,  or  can  provide  themselves  with  better  Food;    nor  will 


xxiv  INTRODUCTION" 

any  country  continue  their  Subjection  to  another,  only  because  their 
great  Grand-mothers  were  acquainted.  This  is  the  Course  of  human 
Affairs,  and  all  wise  States  will  always  have  it  before  their  Eyes. 

Trenchard  on  Plantations  and  Colonies,  in  Cato's  Letters 

No.  106  Anno  1772 

London: 

Printed  for  the  AUTHOR,  by  H.  S.  Woodfall 

Sold  by  J.  Wilkie,  No.  71  St.  Paul's  Church-yard; 

and  at  the  Pamphlet-Shops 

M.DCC.LXXV." 

Later  he  published  many  pamphlets  on  reform 
in  Parliament,  and  worked  incessantly  in  the  holy 
cause  of  liberty.  The  first,  and  perhaps  the  most 
famous  of  these  pamphlets,  was  entitled,  "  Take 
your  choice :  Representation  and  Respect,  Imposi- 
tion and  Contempt :  Annual  Parliaments  and  Lib- 
erty, Long  Parliaments  and  Slavery:  The  People's 
Barrier  against  undue  Influence  and  Corruption: 
Thoughts  on  Parliamentary  Reform  etc."  This 
appeared  in  1776,  that  momentous  year  for  the 
American  Colonists  when  they  proclaimed  their 
independence.  Later  this  pamphlet  appeared  as 
''  The  Legislative  Rights  of  the  Commonalty  vin- 
dicated." John  Cartwright  always  strove  for 
annual  parliaments  and  universal  suffrage.  In 
1780  he  originated  the  *'  Society  for  Constitu- 
tional Information."  Although  much  beloved  by 
his  family  and  friends,  it  is  needless  to  say  that 
such  advanced  and  independent  thinking  on  mat- 
ters political  made  him  displeasing  to  the  higher 
powers,  and  in  1819  he  was  indicted  for  conspir- 


INTRODUCTION  xxv 

acy,  and  inuleted  by  a  fine  to  the  extent  of  a  hun- 
dred pounds  sterling.  Only  his  excellent  charac- 
ter, and  the  almost  universal  esteem  in  which  he 
was  held,  prevented  a  sentence  of  imprisonment. 

In  1775  he  was  appointed  major  of  the  Notting- 
hamshire militia,  and  his  love  of  liberty  was 
shown  by  a  design  for  a  regimental  button  which 
was  in  use  by  this  militia  for  many  years.  The 
design  consisted  of  a  ca])  of  liberty  resting  on  a 
book,  over  which  appeared  a  hand  holding  a  drawn 
sword.  The  motto  was  ^'  Pro  legihus  ct  lihertate.''^ 
Eighteen  years  later,  after  several  attempts  had 
been  made  to  obtain  his  resignation,  he  was  finally 
discharged  from  his  position  in  the  regiment,  ow- 
ing to  the  opposition  in  the  ruling  powers  to  his 
liberal  views.  He  received,  however,  many  ex- 
traordinary testimonies  of  friendship  and  thanks 
from  his  brother  officers  for  his  long  and  meri- 
torious services. 

Major  Cartwright  died  quietly  at  Ilampstead  on 
September  23,  1824.  The  great  respect  and  love 
with  whicli  this  remarkable  man  was  held  showed 
itself  in  the  form  of  a  popular  subscription  for 
a  monument,  which  was  erected  to  his  mem- 
ory. 

The  fourth  son,  Edmund,  bom  at  Marnham  on 
April  24,  1743,  displayed  a  great  diversity  of  tal- 
ents. Educated  at  the  grammar  school  at  Wake- 
field, he  went  in  duo  course  to  Oxford,  when^  ho 
began  his  acadoniical  studios  in  University  Col- 
lege. In  1764  ho  was  olootod  a  domy  of  Magdalen 
College,  and  succeeded  to  a  fellowship  there  in 


xxvi  INTRODUCTION 

the  same  year.  In  1770  his  poetical  genius  blos- 
somed forth  in  a  legendary  tale  in  verse,  entitled 
**  Armine  and  Elvira."  So  successful  did  this 
prove  that  seven  editions  appeared  in  somewhat 
over  a  year.^  This  was  followed  in  1779  by  an- 
other successful  poem,  "  The  Prince  of  Peace." 
In  the  latter  year  he  was  made  rector  of  Goodby 
Marwood,  Leicestershire,  to  which  was  added  a 
prebend  in  the  Cathedral  of  Lincoln.  Here  it 
would  seem  his  life  would  probably  be  passed  in 
the  peaceful  occupations  of  a  country  clergyman. 
His  attention,  however,  having  been  called  to  the 
possibility  of  applying  machinery  to  weaving,  his 
inventive  genius  declared  itself,  and  he  produced 
and  patented  in  1785  the  power-loom.  The  first 
machine  was  somewhat  rude,  but  he  afterward 
gradually  improved  it,  so  that  it  became  almost 
perfect.  The  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  hand 
weavers,  which  ^vent  to  the  extent  of  destroying 
by  fire  the  first  mill  constructed  on  his  plan,  de- 
layed, but  did  not  prevent  the  complete  success 
of  his  great  invention.  Besides  the  power-loom, 
Edmund  Cartwright  invented  machines  for  comb- 

1  The  first  and  last  verses  of  "  Armine  and  Elvira  "  will  give  some  idea 
of  its  scope.    They  are  as  follows: 

"  A  hermit  on  the  banks  of  Trent, 

Far  from  the  world's  bewildering  maze, 
To  humbler  scenes  of  calm  content 
Had  fled  from  brighter,  bxisier  days. 


Joy,  Gratitude,  and  Wonder,  shed 
United  tears  o'er  Hymen's  reign, 

And  Nature  her  best  triumph  led,  — 
For  Love  and  Virtue  join'd  her  train.' 


Edmund   Cartwright 


INTRODUCTION  xxvii 

ing  wool  and  niakiug  ropos,  and  he  was  also  the 
author  of  many  improvements  in  the  arts,  manu- 
factures and  agriculture.  In  1803  he  was  given 
the  silver  medal  of  the  Society  of  Arts,  for  the 
invention  of  a  three-furrow  plough,  and  in  1805  he 
received  the  gold  medal  of  the  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture for  an  ^'  Essay  on  Manures." 

In  1793  Edmund  removed  to  London,  but  in 
1800  he  accepted  the  position  of  domestic  chaplain 
to  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  who  gave  him  the  man- 
agement of  an  experimental  farm  at  Woburn.  In 
1806  the  University  of  Oxford  conferred  on  him 
the  degrees  of  B.  D.  and  D.  D. 

On  June  10,  1809,  Parliament  voted  him  the 
sum  of  ten  thousand  pounds  sterling  in  considera- 
tion of  "  the  good  service  he  had  rendered  the 
pu])lic  ])y  his  inventions  of  weaving,  and  as  some 
recompense  for  the  losses  he  had  sustained  in 
bringing  to  perfection  the  inventions  hy  which  the 
country  had  materially  benefited."  With  part  of 
this  money,  which  made  him  independent,  he 
bought  a  small  farm  at  Hollander,  betw^een  Seven- 
oaks  and  Tunbridge  in  Kent.  He  died  on  Octo- 
ber 30,  1823. 

Of  the  fifth  son,  Charles,  history  has  recorded 
but  little.  When  a  lieutenant  on  board  the 
''  Argo  "  he  distinguished  himself  on  the  African 
coast  by  taking  the  Dutch  fort  of  Commenda,  for 
which  he  received  the  thanks  of  the  African  Com- 
pany. He  refused,  however,  nol  withstanding  his 
own  scanty  means,  to  take  liis  sli.-irc  of  \ho  ]-)rize- 
money,  amounting  to  about  a  thousand  pounds, 


xxviii  INTRODUCTION 

but  insisted  on  distributing  it  among  the  sailors 
who  served  under  him. 

Of  the  five  daughters  I  can  say  nothing,  but  if, 
as  was  doubtless  the  case,  they  partook  of  the 
character  and  spirit  of  their  parents  and  brothers, 
they  filled  well  their  stations  in  life. 

The  manor  house  of  Marnham  where  this  inter- 
esting family  was  reared,  was  pulled  down  a  cen- 
tury ago  and  a  new  hall  built  in  its  place.  It  oc- 
cupied a  lonely  site  which  commanded  extensive 
views  of  the  lovely  valley  of  the  Trent. 

In  the  introduction  to  his  Labrador  Journal, 
which  follows.  Captain  George  Cartwright  has 
given  a  brief  account  of  his  life  before  he  went 
to  Labrador.  The  Journal  itself  recounts  his  life 
during  his  sixteen  adventurous  years  in  Labrador. 
Of  his  life  in  England  after  his  return  for  the  last 
time,  we  have  only  occasional  glimpses,  but  it  is 
evident  that  his  sturdy  habit  of  mind  and  body 
remained  with  him  to  the  last,  and  that  his  inter- 
est in  Labrador  never  waned. 

Miss  F.  D,  Cartwright,  from  whose  excellent 
**  Life  of  Major  Cartwright  "  I  have  obtained 
many  of  my  facts,  speaks  of  her  uncle  George 
as  '*  a  man  of  great  strength  of  mind,  as  well  as 
personal  courage.''  In  another  place  she  says: 
**  Captain  Cartwright  was  possessed  of  uncommon 
vigour  both  of  mind  and  body;  his  journal  of  *  A 
Sixteen  Years'  Residence  in  Labrador,'  has  been 
long  known  to  the  public,  and  though  from  the 
nature  of  the  subject,  it  contains  much  tedious 
detail,  it  cannot  be  perused  without  interest,  as 


INTRODUCTION  xxix 

the  work  of  a  man  ui'  naturally  strong,  tliougli 
uncultivated  talents,  of  great  observation,  and  un- 
impeaelied  integrity.  In  early  life,  he  served  as 
aide-de-camp  in  the  German  War  under  the  Mar- 
quis of  Oranby,  to  whom  his  activity  and  energy 
rendered  him  very  useful;  and  it  is  probable  he 
might  have  risen  to  considerable  eminence  in  his 
profession  had  he  not,  as  soon  as  peace  left  him 
at  liberty  to  follow  his  inclination,  preferred  to 
military  idleness,  an  adventurous  life  amidst  the 
snows  of  Labrador. 

"  In  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  accepted  the 
office  of  barrack-master  at  Nottingham,  which  he 
held  for  many  years,  till  finding  himself  too  infirm 
for  a  service  of  that  nature,  he  retired  to  Mans- 
field in  the  year  1817. 

'^  His  energy  of  mind  continued  to  the  last,  and 
only  a  few  months  before  his  death,  he  was  busied 
in  proposing  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  vari- 
ous plans  and  contrivances  for  hunting,  &c.  and 
nothing  but  increasing  infinnity  prevented  his 
offering  his  services  to  put  them  in  execution. 

"  His  features  were  handsome,  and  his  complex- 
ion ])looming.  His  Herculean  frame  I'etained, 
even  in  age,  a  peculiar  air  of  dignity,  and  although 
a  great  part  of  his  life  had  l)een  spent  in  hardy 
exercises  and  rough  pursuits,  his  maniici's  in  com- 
])aiiy  were  courtly,  and  his  conversation  agi'ee- 
a})]e.  Though  differing  so  materially  in  politics 
with  liis  l)rothci*  [Major  John],  whoso  forlx'nrance 
on  these  subjects  he  certainl}-  did  nol  f.iil  some- 
times to  exercise,  their  mutual  attachment  con- 


XXX  INTRODUCTION 

tinued  through  life,  and  Major  Cartwright  was 
not  so  much  absorbed  in  political  speculations  as 
to  be  prevented  from  entering  with  apparent 
pleasure  into  those  discussions  on  hawking,  bear- 
hunting,  wolf-catching,  and  deer-tracking,  in  which 
he  had  once  taken  an  almost  equal  interest." 

These  pleasant  relations  must  have  been  par- 
ticularly tried  at  the  time  that  the  Duke  of  New- 
castle, to  whom  the  Captain  was  particularly  at- 
tached, treated  his  brother  John  with  much  sever- 
ity and  appointed  another  officer  as  major  of  the 
Nottinghamshire  militia  in  his  place. 

In  1803,  at  the  time  of  the  electioneering  dis- 
turbances, George  Cartwright  was  barrack-mas- 
ter of  Nottingham,  and  ''  though  holding  an  ob- 
noxious situation,  and  known  to  be  a  violent  Tory 
politician,  he  used  to  walk  and  ride  through  the 
streets  in  the  midst  of  the  popular  commotion; 
and  while  others  on  the  same  side  were  afraid  to 
show  themselves,  a  way  was  invariably  made  for 
him  to  pass  without  insult  or  molestation." 

During  his  residence  in  Nottingham  he  lived  in 
a  house  in  Broad-marsh,  which  afterwards  bore 
the  sign  of  the  Black's  Head,^  and  was  generally 
known  as  *^  Old  Labrador."  He  much  enjoyed  the 
sport  of  hawking,  and  ''  previous  to  the  enclosure 
of  the  open  lands,  in  the  vicinity  of  Nottingham, 
he  might  be  seen  wending  his  way  up  the  Mans- 
field road,  during  a  fine  autumnal  morning,  on 
horse-back,  with  his  servant  behind  him,  and  the 
hawks  on  his  wrist,  in  pursuit  of  his  vocation. 

*  At  this  Inn  Lord  Byron's  body  lay  in  state  on  July  15  and  16, 1824. 


Black's  Head    Inn,  Nottingham 


INTEODUCTION  xxxi 

But  after  the  enclosure  took  place,  the  Captain 
entirely  abandoned  his  favorite  amusement."^ 

In  1811  he  was  much  interested  in  having  a 
device  of  his  own  tried  that  would  make  any  boat 
answer  the  jiurjiose  of  a  life-boat.  He  stayed  with 
his  brother  John  at  his  house  in  Westminster  at 
the  time,  and,  as  he  ^vas  unfortunately  confined 
by  a  severe  rheumatism,  his  brother  very  kindly 
attended  to  the  business.  Tlie  invention  '^  con- 
sisted of  a  portable  apparatus  formed  of  bladders 
and  corks,  so  arranged  as  to  be  easil}^  attached  to 
the  sides  of  a  ship's  boat  in  case  of  emergency, 
and,  by  affording  the  greatest  possible  degree  of 
buoyancy,  enabled  it  to  support  an  extraordinary 
weight.  .  .  . 

"  The  experiment  w^as  tried  on  the  7th  of  Oc- 
tober immediately  below  Blackfriars  Bridge,  and 
the  apparatus  was  attached  to  a  six-oared  cutter 
belonging  to  the  Cabalva  East  Indiaman,  Captain 
Birch. 

'*  It  appeared  that  with  twenty- three  men  on 
board  all  standing  on  her  thwarts,  and  eight  hun- 
dred-weight of  iron  in  the  boat,  which  w^as  also 
crowded  with  sail,  the  thwarts  w^ere  an  inch  above 
water,  so  that  the  wnnght  actually  sustained  must 
have  been  equivalent  to  at  least  forty-five  men 
properly  stowed  in  case  of  a  wreck.  "^ 

But  a  few  years  later,  in  1819,  his  ])rother  John 
received  news  of  the  danc:erous  illiiess  of  his  elder 
brothel*  rieor2:e  at  Afnnsficld.    Although  John  was 

*  Annal-^  of  Nnttinphnmphiro.     Thos.  Railoy. 

*  Life  and  correepondence  of  Major  Cartwright,  loc.  cit. 


xxxii  INTRODUCTION 

in  the  midst  of  an  important  election  he  hastened 
to  his  brother's  bedside,  where  he  remained  until 
the  26th  of  February. 

A  letter  written  by  John  to  his  wife  at  this  time 
reveals  some  interesting  traits  of  the  character  of 
both  brothers. 

''  To  Mrs.  Cartwright 

"  My  Dearest  and  Best  Friend, 

'^  I  have  the  pleasure  to  report  that  I  think  my 
brother  much  better;  he  makes  very  affectionate 
inquiries  after  all  at  No.  17;  and  though  he  gave 
me  a  little  scolding  in  his  way,  for  being  at  the 
trouble  of  so  long  a  journey,  I  am  glad  to  see  that 
he  is  pleased  with  my  coming. 

''  His  voice  is  strong,  and  though  not  much  in- 
clined for  conversation,  can  occasionally  talk  with 
much  animation  of  Hudson's  Bay  and  a  North- 
west passage.  The  chief  thing  I  observe  a  defi- 
ciency in,  (for  the  medical  attendant  is  a  man  of 
skill  and  experience,)  is  an  inattention  to  have  in 
readiness  suitable  articles  of  nourishment.  I  am 
not  much  skilled  in  such  things,  but  have  been  of 
some  use  in  this  respect. ' ' 

This  improvement  was  of  but  short  duration, 
for  soon  after  Captain  George  Cartwright  was 
again  attacked  by  a  severe  illness,  and  on  the  11th 
of  March,  1819,^  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age, 
he  expired. 

•  This  date,  which  is  from  Miss  Cartwright's  book,  does  not  correspond 
with  the  date  given  in  the  inscription  ;  if  the  difference  were  only  twelve 
days  it  might  be  explained  by  the  diflference  between  th^  old  and  the  new 
styles. 


INTRODUCTION  xxxiii 

Maiiv  of  the  nietliods  used  l)v  ('art\vriu,iit  in  the 
capture  of  birds,  beasts  and  fishes  are  still  em- 
ployed on  the  Labrador  coast,  and  many  of  the 
local  names  for  these  methods  and  for  the  game 
still  remain.  Some  of  the  methods  have  been  im- 
proved, but  in  agriculture  Cartwright  seems  to 
have  been  far  in  advance  of  the  Labrador  dwellers 
of  the  present  day,  and  they  could  learn  a  lesson 
from  his  experiences. 

The  names  bestowed  by  Cartwright  on  the  is- 
lands and  harbours  of  the  Labrador  coast  still 
remain.  One  of  his  chief  seats  of  residence  there. 
Caribou  Castle,  near  the  entrance  of  Sandwich 
Bay,  perpetuates  his  name  as  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company's  Post  of  Cartwright.  At  the  little 
graveyard  at  this  post  is  a  stone  erected  by  Miss 
F.  D.  Cartwright  to  the  memory  of  the  two  broth- 
ers George  and  John.    Tliis  reads  as  follows: 

In  Memorj'  of 

George  Cartwright 

Captain  in  his  Majesty's  37th  Regiment  of  Foot. 

Second  eon  of  WiUiam  Cartwright,  Esq.,  of 

Mamham  Hall  in  Nottinghamshire. 

who  in  March  1770  made  a  settlement 

on  the  coast  of  Labrador 

where  he  remained  for  sixteen  years. 

He  died  at  Mansfield  in  Nottinghamshire 

the  19th  of  February  1819. 

Also  of 

John  Cartwright 

Lieutenant  of  the  Guernsey,  five  years  surrogate  of  Newfoundland 

And  afterwards  Major  of  the  Nottinghamshire  militia. 

He  died  on  the  23d  of  September  1S21 

To  these  distinguished  brothers,  who  in  zealously  protecting  anrl 
befriending  paved  the  way  for  the  introdiictiori  of  Christianity  to  the 
natives  of  these  benighted  regions 

Tills  memorial  is  affcctinniitcly  inscribed 
by  their  niece  Frances  Dorothy  Cartwright. 


JOURNAL 

OP 

TRANSACTIONS  and   EVENTS, 

DURING    A 
RESIDENCE  OF  NEARLY  SIXTEEN  YEARS 

ON     TH  B 

COAST  OF  LABRADOR; 

CONTAINING 

MANY  INTERESTING  PARTICULARS, 

BOTH    OF    TUB 

COUNTRY    AND    ITS    INHABITANTS, 

NOT  HITHERTO   KNOWN. 
ItLUSTRATED    WITH    PROPER    CHARTS. 


By  GEORGE  CARTWRIGHT,  Efq. 


IN    THREE    VOLUMES. 


VOL.   I.. 


NEWARK: 

ftlNTED    AND   SOLD    BY    ALLIN    AND    RIOOE ; 

MLS    ALtO    it    C.    C.    J.   AND    J.    ROBINSON,    IN     F  ATEK  NOSTIft-ROW)  AJID 

J.    tlPCKfiALE,    rlCCAOILLY,    LONBON. 

1798. 


EXPLANATION 

OF   THE 

FRONTISPIECE 

The  Frontispiece  represents  a  Winter  Scene 
on  the  sea  coast  of  Labrador,  with  the  Author 
taking  his  usual  walk  round  his  fox-traps.  He  is 
supposed  to  have  got  sight  of  some  deer,  and  has 
put  his  dog's  hood  on,  to  keep  him  quiet.  His  hat 
(which  is  white,)  northwester,  wrappers,  cuffs, 
l)ro('ches,  and  buskins,  are  English;  his  jacket 
(which  is  made  of  Indian-dressed  deer-skin,  and 
painted,)  sash,  and  rackets  are  Mountaineer;  and 
his  shoes  Esquimau.  The  pinovers  of  his  north- 
wester are  loose,  and  hang  down  on  the  right  side 
of  it.  On  his  back  is  a  trap,  fixed  by  a  pair  of 
slings,  in  the  manner  of  a  soldier's  knapsack.  A 
bandoleer  hangs  across  his  breast,  from  his  right 
shoulder;  to  which  are  fastened  a  black-fox,  and 
his  hatchet.  A  Gennan  rifle  is  on  his  left  shoulder. 
In  the  l)ack  ground  is  a  yellow  fox  in  a  trap;  hv- 
yond  him,  there  is  a  white-bear  crossing  the  ice  of 
a  nai-row  h;ii'l)Our;  and  'At  the  month  of  the  liar- 
})0ui'  the  view  is  terminated  by  a  peep  at  the  sea, 
wliich  is  frozen  ovei*.  Tlie  tops  of  a  few  small 
rocks  appear,  and  tlic  i-ocky  summits  of  the  distant 
hills  ai-c  bare,  bn<  all  tlie  I'cst  of  the  gnunid  is 
covered  with  snow. 

8 


PREFACE 

Conscious  of  my  inability  to  entertain  the 
reader  with  the  Style  and  Language  of  some  late 
writers,  I  humbly  solicit  his  candor  and  indul- 
gence for  the  many  inaccuracies  he  will  meet  with 
in  the  perusal  of  the  work.  However  great  some 
of  its  defects  may  appear,  I  hope  they  will  in  some 
measure  be  compensated  for  by  the  veracity  of 
my  narrative.  I  do  not  pretend  to  give  animated 
descriptions  of  a  country  I  have  never  visited,  nor 
of  the  custom  and  manners  of  a  people  I  have 
never  seen.  The  transactions  of  the  day  were  in 
general  entered  at  the  close  of  the  same ;  and  little 
did  I  then  suspect,  that  they  would  ever  be  ex- 
hibited to  the  eye  of  the  Public.  They  were  writ- 
ten for  no  other  purpose,  than  to  serve  as  mem- 
orandums for  my  own  use  and  personal  reference. 

After  my  return  to  England,  I  had  often  been 
solicited  by  some  of  my  friends,  who  had  occasion- 
ally read  parts  of  the  manuscript,  to  print  the 
work;  but  I  never  could  prevail  on  myself  to  do 
so,  until  I  was  urged  thereto  by  one  in  particular, 
to  whom  I  should  have  thought  myself  guilty  of 
great  ingratitude  had  T  refused. 

T  flatter  myself  that  it  will  not  be  deemed  imper- 
tinent, if,  by  way  of  excuse  for  not  acquitting 
myself  better,  T  give  fto  those  who  do  not  already 
know  it)  a  short  sketch  of  my  life. 

6 


PREFACE 


I  was  born  on  the  twelfth  of  February  (old 
style)  1739,  of  an  ancient  family  at  Mamham,  in 
the  County  of  Nottingham.  Not  being  the  eldest 
son,  and  my  father  having  but  a  moderate  estate 
and  nine  other  children,  it  was  not  in  his  power 
to  do  much  for  me.  I  received  part  of  my  educa- 
tion at  Newark,  and  during  a  few  of  the  last  years, 
attended  the  Latin  School.  I  was  one  year  at 
Randall's  Academy,  at  Heath  in  Yorkshire;  from 
whence  I  returned  and  continued  another  year 
at  Newark.  On  the  first  of  February  1753,  I  was 
appointed  a  Gentleman  Cadet,  in  the  Cadet  Com- 
pany at  Woolwich,  where  I  had  the  opportunity 
of  improving  myself,  at  the  Royal  Academy  in 
that  place,  for  one  year.  But,  sorry  am  I  to  say, 
that  either  the  want  of  genius  or  application,  ren- 
dered of  little  use  to  me,  the  instructions  of  those 
excellent  masters  with  which  that  institution  was 
then  furnished. 

On  the  sixth  of  March  in  the  following  year,  I 
embarked  for  the  East  Indies,  being  the  seventh 
of  twelve  Cadets,  who  were  sent  to  fill  up  the  com- 
missions which  might  become  vacant,  either  in  a 
detachment  of  Artillery,  commanded  by  Captain 
Lieutenant  William  Hislop,  or  in  the  Thirty-ninth 
Regiment  of  foot,  which  was  then  sent  to  that  part 
of  the  world,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  John 
Adlercron,  who  was  appointed  Commander  in 
Chief  of  all  the  Forces  employed,  or  to  be  em- 
ployed in  the  East  Indies. 

In  little  more  than  a  year  after  my  arrival  in 
India,  I  obtained  an  Ensigncy  in  Colonel  Adler- 


PREFACE 


cruirs  KL'giiiK'iit,  by  the  death  of  Captain  Lyon. 
But  I  had  nut  the  good  fortune  to  be  one  of  a  de- 
taehinent  which  went  to  Bengal  on  board  Admiral 
Watson's  squadron,  where  they  were  landed  under 
the  command  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  *  Clive,  and 
assisted  in  the  re-taking  of  Fort  William,  the 
taking  of  Chandernegore  from  the  French,  and  in 
obtaining  the  signal  victory  over  the  Nabob  of 
Bengal,  at  Plassy;  which  laid  the  foundation  of 
the  British  power  in  that  part  of  the  world,  and 
filled  the  i:)urses  of  all  who  were  employed  on  that 
service. 

In  the  year  1 757  Colonel  Adlercron  and  his  regi- 
ment were  recalled.  At  the  end  of  the  next  year 
I  was  one  of  six  officers  who  landed  at  Limerick; 
and  soon  afterwards  I  was  promoted  to  a  Lieu- 
tenancy. 

Early  in  the  Year  Sixty,  on  the  application  of 
the  late  ]\rarqnis  of  Granby,  I  was  ordered  to  Grer- 
many;  where  I  had  the  honor  to  serve  his  Lord- 
ship in  the  capacity  of  Aid  de  Camp,  during  the 
remainder  of  the  German  War. 

An  Aid  de  Camp  to  a  Commander  in  Chief,  is 
always  supposed  to  be  in  the  sure  line  of  promo- 
tion; but  it  was  my  ill  luck  to  o])tain  nothing  ])et- 
ter  than  the  ])revet  rank  of  Ca])tain.  T  still  re- 
mained a  Lieutenant  in  the  Thii-ty-ninth  Regi- 
ment: Init  aflci'  my  return  to  England,  at  the 
express  desire  of  the  Marcjuis,  to  save  me  the  mor- 
fifK-atiDn  of  sei'ving  undei'  two  junior  offieers  who 
liad  liccu  ])('rn lifted  to  purchase  Companies  over 

•  Lalo  Iv<jrd  Clive. 


8  PREFACE 


my  head  without  their  ever  being  offered  to  me, 
I  exchanged  to  half -pay,  and  received  two  hmidred 
and  fifty  pounds  for  the  diff'erence,  between  that 
and  my  full  pay.  The  greatest  part  of  this  siun 
was  appropriated  to  the  payment  of  the  debts 
which  I  had  contracted  in  Germany;  by  being 
obliged  to  keep  a  number  of  horses  and  servants, 
to  enable  me  to  attend  his  Lordship  on  all  occa- 
sions. 

In  the  Spring  of  1765  I  made  an  excursion  to 
Scotland,  to  indulge  my  insatiable  propensity  for 
shooting:  but  I  soon  found  that  two  shillings  and 
fourpence  a  day,  was  too  small  an  income  to  enable 
me  to  live  in  a  Baronet 's  country  seat,  and  to  keep 
a  female  companion,  two  servants,  a  couple  of 
horses,  and  three  brace  of  dogs.  As  my  pocket 
would  not  permit  me  to  have  any  dealings  with 
the  butcher,  myself  and  family  were  compelled  to 
fast,  when  neither  my  gun  nor  fishing  rod  would 
supply  us  with  provisions.  No  sooner  did  my 
resources  fail,  by  the  scarcity  of  fish  and  game 
at  the  approach  of  winter,  than  I  made  an  auction 
of  all  my  furniture,  and  returned  to  London  by 
sea  with  the  lady  and  dogs. 

London  being  no  place  for  a  man  of  my  scanty 
circumstances  to  remain  in,  I  soon  went  down  to 
Plymouth,  where  my  brother  John  then  com- 
manded the  Sherborne  Cutter,  and  cruised  with 
him  against  the  smugglers,  until  he  was  dis- 
charged from  that  vessel,  and  appointed  first  lieu- 
tenant of  the  Guernse}^,  of  fifty  guns,  then  lying 
at  Spit  Head  and  bound  for  Newfoundland;    on 


PHEFAOE  9 

board  which  ship  the  present  Sir  Hugh  Palliser, 
who  was  then  (Jovernor  of  that  ishmd,  had  his 
Broad-pendant.  Having  no  partieuhir  engage- 
ment, and  hearing  that  bears  and  deer  were  plen- 
tiful there,  I  felt  so  strong  an  inclination  to  be 
among  them,  that  I  accompanied  my  brother  on 
that  voyage. 

On  our  arrival  at  St.  John's,  the  command  of 
a  small  schooner  was  conferred  on  my  bi'other, 
and  he  was  sent  on  some  service  to  one  of  the 
Northern  harliours,  where  I  accompanied  him; 
and  it  was  then  that  I  obtained  ni}^  tirst  knowdedge 
of  the  Red,  or  Wild  Indians. 

On  the  return  of  the  ship  to  Portsmouth,  I 
found,  that  my  good  friend  the  Marquis,  who  had 
lieen  appointed  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Army 
during  my  al)scnce,  had  ol)tained  for  me  a  Com- 
pany in  the  Thirty-seventh  Regiment  of  foot,  upon 
a  vacancy  made  by  the  death  of  Captain  Slack, 
who  died  in  consequence  of  a  wound  in  his  shoul- 
der, which  he  received  from  one  of  the  last  shots 
tliat  wei'e  fired  by  the  Fi'ench  anny  in  Germany. 

Tlic  I'egiment  was  at  that  time  at  Minorca,  and 
T  joined  it  there  the  following  Suniiiicr.  T  very 
soon  caught  the  inveterate  endemic  ague  of  that 
ishmd,  and  in  six  months  was  so  greatly  reduced, 
that  T  must  shortly  have  died,  had  not  lieutenant 
Ciovei-noj'  flolnislnne  Ix'cn  so  kind,  as  lo  ]i(M'niil 
UK'  to  rclui-n  1o  Knglaiul.  T  liad  a  tedious  passage 
hnnic,  but  was  ]ici"f('cjly  Ci-ce  fi'om  my  com])laint 
wliilc  ;i1  sea,  allliouu'li  il  conslanlly  rdnrncd  ilic 
instant  tlu^  ship  entered  a  harbour.     It  was  ilic 


10  PREFACE 


end  of  April  1768,  when  I  arrived  at  Spit  Head, 
where  the  Guernsey  Man  of  War  was  then  lying, 
under  sailing  orders  for  Newfoundland.  Finding 
that  I  could  not  live  on  shore,  I  obtained  leave 
from  Lord  Granby  and  made  a  second  voyage  to 
Newfoundland  in  that  ship.  By  these  means  my 
health  was  perfectly  restored. 

During  the  Guernsey's  stay  at  St.  John's,  I  went 
upon  an  expedition  against  the  Wild  Indians ;  and 
it  was  that  which  first  gave  rise  to  the  voyages 
which  I  afterwards  made  to  Labrador.  My  design 
being  laid  before  the  King,  his  Majesty  was  gra- 
ciously pleased  to  permit  me  to  retire  on  half -pay, 
early  in  the  year  1770,  in  order  that  I  might  put 
it  in  execution,  and  I  soon  after  sailed  for  that 
country. 

The  reader  may  naturally  conclude,  from  the 
life  I  have  led  since  my  leaving  the  Academy  at 
Woolwich,  that  it  was  not  probable  that  I  should 
have  improved  the  slight  education  which  I  re- 
ceived in  my  youth;  and  indeed  such  a  conclusion 
is  very  just,  as  I  had  seldom,  during  that  time, 
attempted  to  read  anything  but  a  newspaper.  On 
my  arrival  in  Labrador,  being  secluded  from  so- 
ciety, I  had  time  to  gain  acquaintance  with  myself: 
and  I  could  not  help  blushing  when  I  perceived, 
how  shamefully  I  had  misemployed  my  time.  The 
little  improvement  I  have  since  made,  has  been 
entirely  owing  to  writing  my  Journal,  and  to 
reading  a  small  collection  of  books  which  I  took 
out  with  me ;  but  it  was  too  late  in  life,  for  me  to 
receive  much  benefit  from  those  helps. 


PREFACE  11 


It  was  suggested  to  me,  that  I  ought  to  have 
put  the  manuscript  iuto  abler  hands,  who  would 
render  it  less  unworthy  the  Public  eye;  but  as  it 
appeared  to  me,  that  by  so  doing  I  should  arrogate 
to  myself  an  honour  to  which  I  was  not  entitled; 
and  also  pay  such  a  price  as  would  swallow  up  the 
greater  part,  if  not  the  whole,  of  the  profit  arising 
from  the  sale  of  my  books,  I  did  not  approve  of 
the  one,  nor  could  I  afford  the  other. 

The  only  merit  to  which  I  have  any  pretensions, 
is  that  of  a  faithful  Journalist,  who  prefers  the 
simplicity  of  plain  language  and  downright  truth, 
to  all  the  specious  oniaments  of  modern  style  and 
description.  I  humbly  trust,  that  this  apology 
will  satisfy  my  friends,  and  serve  to  extenuate 
those  errors,  which  must  be  too  obvious  to  be  over- 
looked by  critical  examination. 


A 

JOURNAL 

OF 

TEANSACTIONS   AND   EVENTS 

ON    THE 

COAST  OF  LABRADOR 


THE    FIRST    VOYAGE 


Sunday,  March  30,  1770.  Some  previous  com- 
munications having  passed  on  the  subject,  Lieu- 
tenant Francis  Lucas  of  the  Royal  Navy  and  I 
went  down  to  Bristol  and  on  this  day  engaged  to 
enter  into  a  partnership  with  Messrs.  Thomas 
Perkins  and  Jeremiah  Coj^hlan,  merchants  of  that 
city,  under  the  firm  of  Perkins,  Coghlan,  Cart- 
wright,  and  Lucas,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on 
various  branches  of  business  upon  the  coast  of 
Labrado]*;  and  particularly,  of  endeavouring  to 
cultivate  a  friendly  intercourse  with  the  Esqui- 
maux Indians,^  who  have  always  been  accounted 
the  most  savage  race  of  people  upon  llic  whole 
continent  of  Amerir'a.  They  have  i\\  dilTcM'ent 
times  committed  several  robberies  and  iiiiii-dcrs  on 

'  Ho  rrforn  to  thr  EskimoH,  not  to  tlu"  Inflifins.  CartwriKlit  frrc]tirntly 
uwfl  thn  word  Indian  whr-n  ho  inoanH  I'^skitno.  This  lattor  race  wore  in 
his  day  ofton  r-allcd  "  Fishinn  Indians  "  to  distinguish  thcrn  from  the  true 
IndiaoH,  who  were  called  "  Hunting  Indianu." 

1.3 


14  CAPTAIN"   CART  WRIGHT'S 

the  property  and  persons  of  the  adventurers  in 
Labrador.  Three  years  ago,  they  murdered  three 
servants  at  Cape  Charles,  who  belonged  to  *  Mr. 
Nicholas  Darby,  an  adventurer  from  Bristol.  This 
occasioned  him  to  abandon  that  place,  and  has 
ever  since  interrupted  all  commerce  between  that 
nation  and  the  British.  That  affair  has  also  de- 
terred every  other  adventurer  from  extending  his 
business  to  the  northward  of  Chateau  Bay,  where 
Government,  near  five  years  ago,  erected  a  block- 
house in  a  small  Fort,  which  is  garrisoned  by  an 
officer  and  twenty  men  from  the  Governor  of  New- 
foundland's ship.  A  Sloop  of  War  is  also  sta- 
tioned there  during  the  Summer,  not  only  to  pro- 
tect the  merchants  and  their  people  from  the  In- 
dians, but  also  to  prevent  encroachments  from 
the  French,  who  carry  on  very  extensive  fisheries 
in  all  the  northern  harbours  of  Newfoundland. 

In  consequence  of  our  partnership  it  was  re- 
solved, that  we  should  purchase  from  Messrs.  Per- 
kins and  Coghlan  (who  are  in  the  Newfoundland 
trade)  a  schooner  of  eighty  tons,  then  lying  in  the 
harbour  of  Poole ;  that  Mr.  Lucas  should  have  the 
command  of  that  vessel;  and  that  I  should  reside 
in  Labrador,  to  direct  and  manage  all  our  concerns 
on  shore. 

In  the  beginning  of  May  I  returned  to  Bristol 
in  expectation  of  going  out  to  Labrador  in  the 
schooner  which  we  had  agreed  for  with  Messrs. 
Perkins   and  Coghlan,  but,  by  some   extraordi- 

*  Father  to  the  since  much  celebrated  Mrs.  Robinson.^ 

*  A  famous  actress  who  wrote  poems  and  novels  under  the  pen  name  of 
Perdita. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  15 

nary  management  of  those  genllemen,  I  found 
that  the  vessel  was  already  sailed  for  Fogo,  a  small 
island  contiguous  to  the  eastern  coast  of  New- 
foundland (where  they  cany  on  the  principal  part 
of  their  business)  in  order  to  be  delivered  to 
us  there.  ]Slessrs.  Coghlan  and  Lucas  sailed  for 
Fogo  on  the  morning  after  my  arrival;  and  as  no 
other  vessel  was  going  from  thence  to  that  part 
of  the  world,  Mr.  Perkins  and  I  purchased  a 
schooner  of  fifty  tons,  which  had  lately  arrived 
with  dispatches  from  Boston.  We  named  her  the 
Nimrod,  appointed  a  Mr.  French  to  the  command 
of  her,  and  on  the  25th  I  sailed  in  her  for  Fogo. 
^ly  suite  consisted  of  Mrs.  Selby,  my  housekeeper; 
Charles  Atkinson,  who  was  a  soldier  in  my  com- 
pany in  the  thirty-seventh  reghnent  of  foot  and 
my  servant  for  the  last  four  years;  and  to  whom, 
at  my  request.  General  Grey  gave  his  discharge; 
and  Edward  Watson,  late  an  nnder  keeper  in 
Averham  Park.  I  took  also,  three  couple  of  fox- 
hounds, one  couple  of  bloodhounds,  a  greyhound, 
a  pointer,  a  spaniel,  and  a  couple  of  tame  rabbits. 
Saturdaij,  Juhj  7,  1770.  Nothing  material  hap- 
pening during  the  voyage,  we  arrived  safe  in  the 
harbour  of  Fogo  this  day.  I  found  here  ^fessrs. 
Coghlan  and  Lucas,  wlio  had  ])een  employed  in 
getting  ready  our  schooner  called  the  Enterprize, 
for  the  purpose  of  landing  me  u]vm  some  part  of 
La])i'ador,  and  Mr.  TiUcas  was  afterwards  to  ex- 
plore the  Coast  to  the  Northward  in  quest  of  the 
Esquimaux.  From  llicsc  Afr.  Liic-is  li;id  ii,i-('at 
expectations,   in   consequence  of  tlic   interest  he 


16  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

had  with  Mycock,  the  woman  whom  he  took  to 
England  about  a  year  and  a  half  ago,  and  from 
whom  he  had  learned  their  language. 

Finding  that  it  would  still  be  some  time  before 
the  Enterprize  w^as  fit  for  sea,  I  borrowed  a  small 
sloop  of  Mr.  Coghlan,  took  Captain  French,  Mrs. 
Selby,  Charles  and  Edward,  together  with  all  the 
dogs,  and  sailed  this  morning  on  a  cruise  up  the 
Bay  of  Exploits,  in  hopes  of  meeting  with  some 
of  the  Wild  Indians,^  as  numbers  of  them  fre- 
quent that  bay  at  this  time  of  the  year. 

Wednes.,  July  11,  1770.  We  got  imder  weigh 
soon  after  daylight,  and  as  we  towed  towards 
Comfit  Island  I  discovered,  by  the  help  of  a  pocket 
DoUand,^  a  party  of  the  Wild  Indians  upon  a  very 
small  island  which  lies  contiguous  to  the  East  end 
of  Little  Cold  Hall.  They  had  two  whigwhams, 
about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  shore,  with  a  fire 
in  each,  and  two  canoes  hang  on  the  beach;  one 
of  which  they  seemed  to  be  mending.  I  counted 
six  people,  and  one  of  them  appeared  to  be  re- 
markably tall,  but  I  could  not  distinguish  of  which 
sex  they  were;  they  did  not  seem  to  be  alarmed 
at  us,  because  their  ignorance  of  the  powers  of 
the  telescope,  made  them  not  suspect  we  had  dis- 
covered them  at  that  distance. 

*  The  long  since  extinct  and  little  known  race,  the  BeothnJc.  They  are 
now  considered  to  have  constituted  a  distinct  linguistic  stock  of  the 
Indians.  Carmack's  Expedition,  conducted  in  behalf  of  the  Beothic  Society 
in  1827,  failed  to  find  a  single  individual  of  this  once  prominent  tribe. 
The  cause  of  their  extinction  is  only  too  plainly  shown  by  Cartwright  in 
his  valuable  account  of  them. 

^  A  telescope  made  by  John  Dollond  or  Dolland,  an  English  optic- 
ian, the  inventor  of  the  achromatic  telescope  in  1757. 


LABKADOK   JOURNAL  17 

These  Indians  are  the  original  inhabitants  of 
the  island  of  NewfuiuuUand,  and  although  beyond 
a  doubt  descendants  from  some  of  the  tribes  upon 
the  continent  of  America,  and  most  probably  from 
the  Mountaineers  of  Labrador,  yet  it  will  be  very 
difficult  to  trace  their  origin.  They  have  been  so 
long  separated  from  their  ancient  stock,  as  well 
as  from  all  mankind,  that  they  differ  widely  in 
many  particulars  from  all  other  nations.  In  my 
ojDinion,  they  are  the  most  forlorn  of  any  of  the 
hmnan  species  which  have  yet  come  to  my  knowl- 
edge, the  Indians  of  Terra  del  Fogo  excepted;  for 
these  are  not  only  excluded  from  all  intercourse 
with  the  rest  of  mankind,  but  are  surrounded  by 
inA^eterate  enemies,  and  not  even  possessed  of  the 
useful  services  of  a  dog. 

As  far  as  I  can  learn,  there  were  many  Indians 
on  the  island  when  it  was  first  discovered  by  Eu- 
ropeans, and  there  are  still  fishermen  living,  who 
remember  them  to  have  l)een  in  much  greater 
number  than  at  present,  and  even  to  have  fre- 
quented most  parts  of  the  island.  They  are  now 
much  diminished,  and  confine  themselves  chiefly 
to  the  parts  between  Cape  Freels  and  Cape  John. 
The  reason,  I  presume,  of  their  preferring  that 
distnct  to  any  other  is,  because,  within  it  are  sev- 
cial  deep,  winding  bays,  with  many  islands  in 
tbcni,  wh ('!•('  tliev  can  more  easily  procure  sub- 
sistence, ;\]\<]  with  gT'cafer  securily  hide  them- 
selves from  (>]]]'  fishei'moii.  F  am  sorry  to  add, 
that  the  latlcr  arc  mncli  urcater  savages  than 
the  Indians  themselves,  for  they  seldom  fail  to 


18  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

shoot  the  poor  creatures  whenever  they  can,  and 
afterwards  boast  of  it  as  a  very  meritorious 
action.  With  horror  I  have  heard  several  de- 
clare, they  would  rather  kill  an  Indian  than  a 
deer! 

These  Indians  are  called  Bed,  from  their  custom 
of  painting  themselves,  and  everything  belonging 
to  them,  with  red  ochre,  which  they  find  in  great 
plenty  in  various  parts  of  the  island;  and  Wild, 
because  they  secrete  themselves  in  the  woods, 
keep  an  unremitting  watch,  and  are  seldom  seen; 
a  conduct,  which  their  defenceless  condition,  and 
the  inhuman  treatment  which  they  have  always 
experienced  from  strangers,  whether  Europeans 
or  other  tribes  of  Indians  from  the  Continent,  have 
compelled  them  to  adopt. 

They  are  extremely  expert  at  managing  their 
canoes,  which  are  made  with  a  very  thin,  light 
wood-work,  covered  with  birch  rinds,  and  worked 
by  single-headed  paddles;  they  vary  in  size,  ac- 
cording to  the  number  of  persons  which  they  are 
intended  to  carry. 

They  are  excellent  archers,  as  many  of  our 
fishermen  have  too  fatally  experienced,  and  they 
are  likewise  good  furriers.  Indeed,  if  they  had 
not  these  resources,  the  whole  race  must  long 
since  have  been  extirpated  by  cold  and  fam- 
ine. 

Formerly,  a  very  beneficial  barter  was  carried 
on  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bonavista,  by  some  of 
the  inhabitants  of  that  harbour.  They  used  to 
lay  a  variety  of  goods  at  a  certain  place,  to  which 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  19 

the  Indians  resorted,  who  took  what  they  were 
in  want  of,  and  left  furs  in  return.  One  day,  a 
villain  hid  himself  near  the  deposite,  and  shot  a 
woman  dead,  as  she  was  furnishing  herself  with 
what  pleased  her  best.  Since  that  time,  they  have 
been  always  hostile  to  Europeans.  I  fear  that  the 
race  will  l)e  totall}^  extinct  in  a  few  years;  for 
the  fishing  trade  continually  increasing,  almost 
every  river  and  brook  w^hich  receives  salmon  is 
already  occupied  by  our  people,  and  the  bird- 
islands  are  so  continually  robbed,  that  the  poor 
Lidians  must  now  find  it  much  more  difficult 
than  before,  to  procure  provisions  in  the  sum- 
mer; and  this  difficulty  will  annually  become 
greater.  Nor  do  they  succeed  better  in  the  win- 
ter; for  our  furriers  are  considerably  increased 
in  number,  much  improved  in  skill,  and  venture 
farther  into  the  country  than  formerly;  by 
which,  the  breed  of  beavers  is  greatly  dimin- 
ished. 

About  two  years  ago,  I  went  on  an  expedition 
up  the  River  Exploits,  which  is  the  largest  in 
Newfoundland,  many  miles  higher  than  any  Euro- 
pean over  was  l)efore,  and  I  there  saw  a  great 
number  of  the  Indian  houses  uninhabited;  I  con- 
cluded from  tlioH-e,  that  the  Indians  retired  into 
the  country  at  the  approach  of  Winter,  to  feed 
on  venisr>n  and  Ix'aver,  and,  if  I  may  judge  by  the 
number  of  deer's  heads  wliich  T  saw  ])y  the  river 
side,  they  must  l)e  very  dexterous  hunters.  The 
verv  lonc!;.  and  stronc;  feives  \\1ii<-]i  ilicx-  liad  made, 
were  conxincing  pi'ord's,  tlial  they  knew  tlieir  })usi- 


20  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

ness.  I  observed,  that  these  fences  were  of  two 
kinds.  Those  Indians  who  lived  on  the  South  side 
of  the  river,  erected  theirs  on  the  top  of  the  bank, 
and  extended  it  for  a  mile  or  two  in  length.  Where 
they  found  plenty  of  tall  trees,  they  felled  them 
so  as  to  fall  parallel  to  the  river,  and  one  upon 
another;  the  weak  places  they  filled  up  with  the 
tops  of  other  trees.  Where  any  open  place  inter- 
vened, they  made  use  of  a  sort  of  sewell,  made  of 
narrow  strips  of  birch  rind,  tied  together  in  the 
form  of  the  wing  of  a  paper  kite:  each  of  these 
was  suspended  from  the  end  of  a  stick,  stuck  into 
the  ground  in  an  oblique  position,  that  it  might 
play  with  every  breeze  of  wind.  These  sewells 
were  placed  at  no  great  distance  from  each  other, 
and  the  effect  produced  by  their  motion,  was  con- 
siderably heightened  by  the  noise  of  the  strips, 
when  they  struck  against  each  other.  B}^  these 
means,  the  deer^  were  deterred  by  the  sewells 
from  attempting  to  enter  the  woods  at  the  open 
places,  and  the  fences  were  too  high  to  be  over- 
leaped, and  too  strong  to  be  forced.  Of  course, 
they  were  compelled  to  walk  along  the  shore,  until 

1  The  name  deer  is  used  by  Cartwright  as  it  is  by  the  present  day  in- 
habitants of  Newfoundland  and  Labrador  for  the  caribou,  —  the  American 
reindeer.  There  are  no  other  deer  native  to  either  Newfoundland  or 
Labrador.  The  Newfoundland  caribou,  Rangifer  terrce-novoe,  belongs  in  the 
group  of  woodland  caribou.  In  Labrador  the  woodland  caribou,  Rangifer 
caribou,  occurs  throughout  the  wooded  portions  and  in  Cartwright's  time 
was  abundant  on  the  southeastern  coast.  In  the  treeless  northern  region 
the  barren  ground  caribou  occurs,  Rangifer  ardicus.  The  reindeer  of 
northern  Europe,  Rangifer  tarandus,  is  a  smaller  animal  and  is  at  present 
writing  being  introduced  by  Dr.  W.  T.  Grenfell  into  Newfoundland  and 
later  into  Labrador  to  take  the  place  of  the  Eskimo  dogs  as  a  beast  of 
burden,  and  to  supply  milk,  meat  and  clothing. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  21 

tlK'v  could  pass  those  obstructions,  and  proceed 
to  the  [Southern  parts  of  the  ishuid,  to  which  they 
always  resort  in  great  numbers,  at  the  approach 
of  ^Yinter.  They  lind  there  many  extensive  tracts 
of  land  destitute  of  wood,  and  covered  with  plenty 
of  Reindeer  Lichen/  Empetrum  Nigrum,"  and 
other  herbage;  and  which  the  want  of  trees  keeps 
free  from  snow,  by  the  wind  drifting  it  off,  from 
all  such  places  as  are  exposed  to  its  force.  The 
Northern  parts  of  the  island  are  in  general  so  well 
covered  with  timber,  where  the  snow  never  drifts, 
that  the  herbage  is  buried  too  deep  for  them:  yet 
there  are  some  small  spots  of  open  ground  in  those 
parts,  where  a  few  herds  of  deer  find  subsistence 
every  Winter.  At  certain  intervals  the  Indians 
make  stands,  from  whence  they  shoot  the  deer 
with  their  arrows,  as  they  pass  along  under  the 
fence:  some  of  those  I  observed  were  erected  in 
large  spreading  trees,  and  others  were  raised  be- 
hind the  fence. 

The  other  kind  of  fence  is  always  built  on  the 
North  side  of  the  river,  and  is  so  constructed,  that 
a  herd  of  deer  having  once  entered,  it  is  almost 
impossible  for  one  of  them  to  escape.  From  their 
house,  which  is  always  situated  by  the  side  of  the 
river,  they  erect  two  high,  and  very  strong  fences, 
parallel  to  eadi  other,  forming  a  nari-ow  lane  of 
some  length,  and  stretching  into  the  country. 
Fiv.ni  llic  fai'tlici-  <'ii(l  of  ('.•i<-1i,  tlicy  extend  two 
very  Iniiu;  wiiig-fcuccs,  the  exti'emities  of  which 

^  Clniiomn   rnnfjiUrind.     Carf  wriuli)    is  corn-ct    in   rallin^j  this  :i  Urhen 
and  not  a  mwff. 
»  This  ifl  the  Hciontifir  iiariic  still  iis<m|  for  tlic  <r()\v-l)crrv  or  curlcw-borry. 


22  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

are  from  one  mile  to  two,  or  more,  asunder/  The 
deer  travel  in  small  companies,  few  of  them  ex- 
ceeding a  dozen  head,  and  when  they  meet  with 
these  hawk,  or  wing-fences,  they  walk  along  them, 
until  they  are  insensibly  drawn  into  the  pound, 
as  partridge  are  into  a  tunnel  net.  The  women 
prevent  them  from  returning,  and  they  are  all 
killed  with  great  ease  by  the  men. 

Besides  the  whigwhams  (which  are  constructed 
with  slight  poles,  in  the  form  of  a  cone,  about  six 
or  seven  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  eight  or  nine 
in  height,  and  covered  with  birch  rinds,  or  skins, 
and  often  with  sails  which  they  contrive  to  steal 
from  the  fishing-rooms)  we  also  observed  several 
houses  substantially  built  of  timber.  They  were 
about  ten  or  twelve  feet  square;  some  of  the  sides 
were  constructed  with  squared  timber,  laid  hori- 
zontally upon  each  other,  with  moss  between; 
others  were  built  of  upright  logs  standing  very 
open,  with  a  slight  frame  of  lattice-work  on  the 
inside;  upon  the  latter  we  observed  deer's  hair, 
from  which  we  concluded  they  made  use  of  the 
skins  of  those  animals  to  keep  out  the  weather. 
The  roofs  were  low  p3a'amids,  with  a  hole 
in  the  top  for  the  emission  of  smoke;  the 
fire  was  in  the  centre,  and  the  inhabitants  sleep 
round  it. 

*  Carmack  (or  Cormack)  in  his  descent  of  the  River  of  Exploits  in  1827, 
previously  referred  to  in  a  note,  says:  "  But  what  arrests  the  attention 
most,  in  gliding  down  the  stream,  is  the  extent  of  the  Indian  fences  to 
entrap  deer.  They  extend  from  the  lake  downwards,  continuous  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  at  least  thirty  miles,  with  openings  here  and  there, 
for  the  animals  to  go  through,  and  swim  across  the  river." 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  23 

The  bows  of  these  people  are  made  of  sycamore, 
but  they  do  not  seem  to  think  a  straight  clear  piece 
any  way  essential;  for  we  found  none  of  them 
to  be  so.  The  backs  were  round,  the  inner  side 
flat,  except  in  the  grasp,  and  we  observed,  that  all 
of  them  had  one  edge  thicker  than  the  other,  which 
we  supposed  was  for  the  truer  direction  of  the 
arrow:  a  })rinciple  not  attended  to  by  other  arch- 
ers.   The  length  was  about  five  feet  and  a  half. 

The  arrows  are  made  of  Wejaiiouth  pine;  ^  they 
are  slender,  light,  perfectly  straight,  and  about 
three  feet  long.  The  head  is  a  barbed  lance,  made 
out  of  an  old  nail,  and  about  six  inches  long,  let 
into  a  cleft  in  the  top  of  the  shaft,  and  secured 
there  by  a  thread  of  deer's  sinew.  They  are 
feathered  at  the  other  end  from  the  wing  of  the 
goose  or  eagle. 

As  they  cannot  always  get  a  regular  supply  of 
provisions;  in  times  of  plenty,  they  take  care  to 
provide  for  those  of  scarcity.  This  they  do  by 
jerking  venison,  seal's  flesh,  birds,  and  fish;  and 
by  making  sausages,  several  of  which  I  often 
found  when  I  was  formerly  in  Newfoundland. 
Tliey  consisted  of  the  flesli  and  fat  of  seals,  eggs, 
and  a  variety  of  other  rich  matter,  stuffed  into 
the  guts  of  seals;  for  want  of  salt  and  spices,  the 
composition  had  the  hauf  f/onf  to  perfection. 

It  is  a  singular  and  ahnost  incredible  fact  that 
these  people  should  visit  Funk  Island,'  which  lies 
forty  miles  from  Cape  Freels,  and  sixty  from  the 

'  Or  whitf  pino,  Finns  .Slrohus. 

^  Funk  Inland  wa8  a  famoiis  brrr.liriK  v^rawni]  for  tin-  ^rcit  nuk,  ii'rir  infra. 


24  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

Island  of  Fogo.  Tlie  island  being  small  and  low, 
they  cannot  see  it  from  either  of  those  places,  nor 
is  it  possible  to  conceive,  how  they  conld  get  in- 
formation from  any  other  nation.  The  Indians 
repair  thither  once  or  twice  every  year,  and  return 
with  their  canoes  laden  with  birds  and  eggs;  for 
the  number  of  sea-fowl  which  resort  to  this  island 
to  breed,  are  far  beyond  credibility. 

That  our  people  might  easily  have  established 
a  friendly  intercourse,  and  beneficial  traffic  with 
these  Indians,  the  circumstance  which  I  have  al- 
ready related  renders  highly  probable:  but  vile 
murder  first  produced  a  spirit  of  revenge  in  them, 
and  that  has  been  made  a  pretence  for  unheard 
of  cruelties,  on  the  parts  of  our  fishermen.  I  could 
relate  several  recent  instances,  some  of  which  I 
had  from  the  accounts  of  the  perpetrators  them- 
selves; but  they  are  so  diabolically  shocking,  that 
I  will  spare  the  reader  the  pain  of  perusing,  and 
myself  that  of  writing,  an  account  of  acts,  which 
would  disgrace  the  greatest  savages. 

What  number  of  these  Indians  may  still  be  left, 
no  person  can  even  hazard  a  conjecture;  but  it 
must  decrease  annually:  for  our  people  murder  all 
they  can,  and  also  destroy  their  stock  of  provision, 
canoes,  and  implements  of  all  sorts,  whenever  a 
surprise  forces  them,  by  a  precipitate  retreat,  to 
leave  those  things  behind  them.  This  loss  has 
frequently  occasioned  whole  families  to  die  by 
famine.    The  Mickmack  Indians,^  who  come  from 

^  These  belong  to  the  distinct  Algonkin  family,  the  same  family  to 
which  the  Nascaupee  and  Montagnais  Indians  of  Labrador  belong. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  25 

Cape  Breton,  and  aiv  furnished  witli  tirearms,  are 
also  their  imphieable  eueuiies;  and  greatly  an 
overmatch  for  these  poor  wretches,  who  have 
no  better  defensive  weapons,  than  bows  and 
arrows. 

In  consequence  of  their  having  so  many,  and 
such  formidable  enemies,  they  generally  keep 
themselves  concealed  in  the  woods,  in  places  best 
situated  for  discovering  the  approach  of  danger; 
and  from  whence  they  can  make  a  safe  and  un- 
perceived  retreat.  Whole  summers  therefore 
often  pass  without  an  Indian  l)een  seen,  although 
fresh  vestiges  of  them  are  daily  observed.  When  I 
was  formerly  in  Newfoundland,  both  in  the  years 
17(j6  and  1768,  I  met  Avith  whigwhams  upon  sev- 
eral of  these  islands  (which  are  very  numerous) 
in  which  the  fires  were  burning;  yet  I  never  saw^ 
an  Indian:  nor  should  I  have  been  gratified  with 
a  sight  of  one  now,  had  they  not  supposed,  that 
we  were  at  too  great  a  distance  to  discover  them. 

Tliursddji,  Juljj  12,  1770.  We  got  under  sail  at 
day-light,  and  went  to  Night  Island.  At  six 
o'clock  we  came  t(^  anchor  off  the  west  end  of  it, 
and  landed  with  all  the  hounds.  It  was  not  long 
before  we  found  a  fox,  and  chased  liini  for  four 
linui's:  l»ii1  Ihe  wcaihei"  was  then  so  \-ery  liot,  tliat 
tlic  dogs  cdiild  I11111I  no  loiigci".  We  then  re-em- 
bai'ked  and  made  sail  f<»i-  Oiai'lf's's  Brook,  whe]*e 
we  arri\c(l  -M  snn-sc1. 

Fn'rhi If,  J /il  1/  /.7,  1770.  I  look  a  sliort  wall-:  lliis 
nmniiiiu-  into  some  iiciLiliboiiriiiu-  fiiai'shcs,  and  ex- 
pected 1olia\<'  ni('<  willi  a  dcci*,  bid  saw  none.     On 


26  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

my  return,  I  fixed  up  a  boat's  sail  between  two 
trees,  at  a  short  distance  from  the  buildings,  to 
keep  off  the  rain,  under  which  Mrs.  Selby  and  I 
sat  watching  a  bear-path  imtil  the  evening.  At 
that  time  a  large  bitch  bear  ^  made  her  appear- 
ance, and  I  shot  her  through  the  heart  with  my 
Hanoverian  rifle ;  she  had  not  had  a  cub  this  year, 
and  was  very  poor.  We  immediately  roasted  a 
joint,  and,  although  it  tasted  rank,  it  served  very 
well  to  satisfy  a  craving  appetite,  as  we  had  lived 
very  indifferently  since  we  left  Fogo. 

Saturday^  July  14,  1770.  As  soon  as  we  had 
dispatched  some  plentiful  dishes  of  bear  steakes 
this  morning,  we  took  a  walk  to  a  pond  which  lies 
upon  the  brook,  and  not  far  from  the  mouth  of 
it,  to  look  at  a  new  beaverhouse,  in  which  the 
salmoniers  had  killed  four  beavers.^  The  appear- 
ance on  the  outside  resembled  a  heap  of  earth, 
stones  and  sticks;  it  was  built  adjoining  to  the 
bank,  and  the  crown  of  it  was  about  four  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  water.  I  examined  it  very 
strictly,  to  see  if  I  could  discover  those  marks  of 
sagacity  and  contrivance,  which  are  related  by 
those  authors  who  have  entertained  the  world 
with  the  natural  history  of  these  curious  animals; 
but,  for  want  of  a  competent  knowledge  in  archi- 
tecture, I  presume,  I  could  perceive  only  the  order 
of  confusion.  As  to  the  inside  I  can  say  nothing, 
for  we  did  not  open  it;  but  that,  I  am  told,  is  in 
the  form  of  an  oven. 

1  Black  bear,  Ursus  americamis. 

*  Canadian  beaver,  Castor  canndem^is. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  27 

I  shot  a  black-duck/  which  is  an  excellent  bird; 
it  is  the  size  and  shape  of  the  English  wild-duck, 
but  the  feathers  are  black,  with  a  bar  of  shining 
blue  on  each  wing:  there  is  no  perceptible  differ- 
ence between  the  duck  and  the  mallard,  the  latter 
not  having  the  curled  feathers  on  the  rmnp.^ 

Tuesday,  JuJij  24,  1770.  Tlie  time  between  the 
eighteenth  and  this  day,  was  employed  in  making 
the  necessary  preparations  for  our  departure  for 
Labrador.  Mrs.  Selby  had  the  misfortune  to  fall 
down  in  walking  to  a  neighliouring  house:  by  this 
accident  she  broke  the  small  bone  of  her  right  leg 
and  dislocated  her  ancle. 

This  morning  I  embarked  on  board  the  Enter- 
prize  schooner,  commanded  by  lieutenant  Lucas, 
and  sailed  for  Labrador.  In  addition  to  my 
former  family,  I  brought  with  me  from  Fogo  two 
carpenters,  a  mason,  John  Fogarty,  and  Ann 
Obrien,  whose  husband  was  a  blacksmith,  and 
one  of  the  schooner's  crew.  The  schooner  was 
mounted  with  eight  swivels,  manned  with  twenty 
men,  and  furnished  with  as  many  stands  of  small- 
arms. 

Nothing  remarkable  occurred  until  the  evening 
of  the  27th,  when  one  of  our  best  men  was  knocked 
overboard  by  a  jerk  of  the  boom,  in  assisting  to 
reef  the  mainsail ;  but  we  saved  him  with  the  boat. 

'  Black  or  dusky  duck,  Anns  ruhripe.s  C\intil  very  rocpntly  known  iia 
A.  ohxcura). 

*  CartwT-iKht's  tnoaninK  in  rather  obHfurc,  hut  lie  intends  to  s.-iy  that 
the  female  or  duck  of  the  black  duck  rcscniblcH  thi'  female  wild-<luck  or 
mallard  M  .  hosch/vi),  an  the  latter  bird  lacks  the  curled  fejithcrs  on  the  rump 
po88esse<l  by  the  drake  mallard. 


28  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

Being  at  that  time  arrived  off  Cape  Quirpon,  we 
lay  to  till  midnight,  and  then  made  sail  across  the 
straits  of  Belle  Isle;  notwithstanding  there  was  a 
very  thick  fog,  and  the  wind  dead  on  the  Labrador 
shore. 

Saturday,  July  28,  1770.  At  five  o'clock  this 
morning  we  found  ourselves  almost  in  the  break- 
ers, and  to  the  westward  of  York  Point.  We  were 
very  near  running  on  shore,  once  or  twice  after- 
wards; but  at  last  we  contrived  to  find  our  way 
into  Pitt's  Harbour  in  Labrador. 

We  found  lying  here  the  Nautilus  and  the  Otter 
Sloops  of  War;  the  former  commanded  b)^  Cap- 
tain Williams,  and  the  latter  by  Captain  Morris. 
Mr.  Lucas  and  I  went  on  board  of  both  the  ves- 
sels, to  pay  our  respects  to  the  captains;  one  of 
whom  had  brought  twenty  stands  of  small-arms 
for  my  use;  which  I  was  informed  Sir  Edward 
Hawke,  now  first  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  had  or- 
dered Commodore  Byron,^  the  Governor  of  New- 
foundland, to  furnish  me  with,  fearing  lest  I 
should  not  have  a  sufficiency  for  my  defence 
against  the  Esquimaux;*  but  being  already  sup- 
plied with  enough  of  our  own,  I  declined  accept- 
ing them.    I  then  went  on  shore  to  York  Fort  to 

1  Nicknamed  by  the  sailors  "  Foul-weather  Jack,"  grandfather  of  Lord 
Byron,  who  refers  to  him  in  his  "  Epistle  to  Augusta:  "  — 
"  A  strange  doom  is  thy  father's  son's,  and  past 
Recalling  as  it  lies  beyond  redress 
Reversed  for  him  our  grandsire's  fate  of  yore, 
He  had  no  rest  at  sea,  nor  I  on  shore." 
*  I  should  be  ungrateful  not  to  mention,  that  Sir  Edward,  with  whom 
I  had  not  even  the  honor  of  a  personal  acquaintance,  ordered  this  supply 
without  any  application  on  my  part. 


LABR.U30R   JOURNAL  29 

visit  lieutenant  Davyes  of  the  marines,  wlio  be- 
longed to  the  Guernsey  during  both  the  voyages 
that  I  sailed  in  her,  and  now  conmiands  here.  He 
presented  me  with  a  Xew  England  whale-boat, 
and  shewed  me  two  hams  of  a  white  bear,^  in  brine, 
intended  as  a  comj^liment  to  the  Governor,  which 
he  and  his  people  killed  last  winter,  upon  the  ice 
in  the  harbour;  the  weight  of  the  animal,  he  as- 
sured me,  was  a  hundred  and  twenty  stone  of  four- 
teen poimds  each.  In  the  flight-time,  which  com- 
mences about  the  middle  of  April,  and  commonly 
ends  with  the  month  of  May,  he  said,  they  had 
killed  about  fifteen  hundred  ducks,  which  ap- 
peared probable  enotigh,  from  the  Ijags  of  feathers 
he  shewed  me. 

Sunday,  Jiihj  29,  1770.  At  day-light  this  morn- 
ing, we  sailed  for  Charles  River,  and  brotight  along 
with  us  a  baitskiff  belonging  to  Perkins  and  Cogh- 
lan,  that  had  l)een  left  at  the  fort  last  year.  There 
being  but  little  wind,  I  got  into  the  whern^  when 
we  drew  near  St.  Peter's  Islands,  and  landed  upon 
one  of  them,  where  I  shot  four  eider  ducks,'-  and 
seven  lords  and  ladies;"'  the  latter  being  in  full 
moult  could  not  fly,  ])ut  they  were  very  fat.  From 
thence  we  rowed  to  the  outer  point  of  Cam])  Is- 
lands, where  we  caught  many  large  cod-fish,^  by 

1  Polar  hear,  Thalnrctns  mnrilimus,  now  oxtirpiitcd  from  Labrador 
except  in  the  most  northern  partH. 

'  American  cider,  SnindUrin  drcsscri.  The  Tirccnland  cider,  .S.  mollissimn 
barealia,  hrwds  north  of  Hamilton  Inlet  at  the  present  day,  as  does  also  the 
Kin^;  eider,  .S.  upcclalrilis. 

•The  male  anrl  female  Harlequin  rhicU,  1 1  inlrionicus  histrintncus. 

*  Gadua  callarian. 


30  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

which  the  boat  was  so  deeply  laden,  that  we  were 
in  danger  of  sinking,  and  could  hardly  make  use 
of  the  oars  to  row  on  board  the  schooner  again. 
In  the  evening  I  landed  on  Seal  Island,  near  Cape 
Charles;  which  had  never  been  occupied  by  any 
person  since  Captain  Darby  abandoned  it,  after 
the  Esquimaux  had  killed  three  of  his  people 
there;  and  took  possession  of  it  for  our  company. 
We  afterwards  proceeded  for  Charles  River,  and 
anchored  in  the  mouth  of  it  at  ten  o  'clock  at  night, 
not  having  light  to  go  higher  up. 

Monday,  July  30, 1770.  At  day-light,  I  sent  Ned 
on  shore  upon  South  Head,  where  he  burnt  priming 
at  a  stout  stag.*  We  then  got  under  weigh,  and 
worked  up  the  river  above  Barred  Island,  where 
we  came  to  an  anchor  again  and  moored;  as  there 
did  not  appear  to  us  to  be  a  sufficient  depth  of 
water  for  our  vessel  any  higher. 

After  breakfast,  Mr.  Lucas  and  I  got  into  the 
wherr}^,  and  rowed  up  the  river  to  the  place  where 
Captain  Darby  had  lived;  which  is  as  high  as  a 
boat  can  go.  There  we  found  his  old  house  in  such 
good  condition,  that  it  might  easily  be  made  proof 
against  the  weather,  by  chinsing  between  the  studs 
with  moss,  and  giving  it  an  additional  covering. 
There  were  also  the  ruins  of  a  servant's  house, 
a  work-shop,  and  fishing  stage;  all  these  we  took 
possession  of,  and  returned  on  board  to  dinner. 
The  people  were  busily  employed  all  day  in  land- 
ing the  provisions  and  goods  which  were  destined 

*  All  the  deer  in  this  country  are  rein-deer,  yet  I  shall  take  the  liberty 
to  call  them  stags,  hinds,  &c.,  the  same  as  red  deer  are  distinguished. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  31 

for  my  use,  as  I  had  resolved  to  fix  my  residence 
here.  Two  meu  were  left  on  shore  at  night  to 
take  care  of  them,  and  the  live  stock;  for  I  had 
brought  from  Fogo,  a  couple  of  goats  and  a  few 
poultry.  As  none  of  those  people,  who  were  em- 
ployed in  the  boats,  had  ever  been  in  this  part 
of  the  world  before,  they  were  greatly  terrified 
with  the  continual  crying  of  the  loons,^  believing 
them  to  be  Indians ;  and  one  man  even  swore,  that 
he  saw  two  upon  the  shore. 

[For  several  days  after  this  Capt.  Cartwright 
was  busy  in  directing  the  landing  of  his  goods, 
the  repairing  of  old  houses  and  in  building  anew. 
Yet  he  found  time  for  shooting  and  exploration.] 

Saturday,  August  4,  1770.  I  set  the  carpenters 
to  work  on  the  intended  dwellinghouse,  which  is 
thirty-seven  feet  by  fourteen,  with  orders  to  divide 
it  into  three  equal  parts;  the  south  apartment  to 
be  the  kitchen,  the  centre  a  dining-room,  and  the 
north  to  be  sub-divided  longitudinally  into  two 
Ijcd-rooms;  with  a  loft  for  goods  over  the  whole. 
The  mason  began  a  chimney  in  one  of  the  bed- 
rooms, with  the  bricks  and  lime,  which  I  brought 
out  for  that  purpose. 

M 0)1(1(111,  Au(/usf  6,  1770.  T  walked  to  the  top 
of  a  hill,  which  lies  a  mile  and  a  half  Fast  of  this 
place,  and  found  part  of  it  to  be  b.nrcn,  and  the 
rest  covered   with  crabbed   spruce-bushes,^  from 

'  (lama  immcr. 

*  Black  Hpninc,  I^irra  marinnfi:  wliito  spruro,  P.  rntinfln}siH ;  (and,  in 
some  plarr^  in  southprn  Labrador,  rod  spnioo,  P.  nihrn)  on  this  coast 
indc^ofl  bu.shps,  HonriPtimos  not  moro  than  n  foot  Inch,  yot  ofton  fifty  yoarfl 
old,  IU1  I  hrivp  dotorrninod  hv  count iiic  the  rintrs.  Vulc  "  A  Labrador 
Spring."     Dana  EnUiH  <t  Co.,  Boston,  1010,  pp.  2{W>-2\\). 


32  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

one  to  three  feet  high;  and  on  the  farther  side, 
there  is  an  elevated  hommock,  from  whence  I  had 
an  extensive  view.  The  foot  of  this  hill,  which  I 
named  Prospect  Hill,  is  washed  to  the  eastward, 
by  a  pool,  at  least  a  mile  in  length,  and  above  two 
hundred  yards  in  breadth.  About  two  hundred 
yards  above  that,  is  a  lake  three  miles  in  length, 
and  half  a  mile  in  breadth,  in  which  are  several 
small  islands;  and  still  higher  up,  are  many  other 
pools  of  an  inferior  size,  which,  I  presume,  are 
supplied  from  small  tributary  streams :  and  below 
the  first  of  these  are  two  or  three  small  ponds. 
To  the  two  principal  ones  I  gave  the  names  of 
Island  Lake,  and  Long  Pool.  In  the  woods  be- 
tween the  river  and  the  hill,  I  observed  a  great 
deal  of  very  useful  timber,  but  no  large  trees. 

Friday,  August  10, 1770.  Early  in  the  morning, 
I  took  Charles  and  Ned  with  me,  and  sailed  for 
Chateau  in  our  baitskiff;  but  we  had  no  sooner 
got  below  the  narrows,  into  the  more  open  part 
of  the  river,  than  I  met  my  brother  John  in  a 
whaleboat.  I  was  informed  by  him,  that  Sir  Ed- 
ward Hawke,  judging  I  should  meet  with  many 
unforeseen  difficulties  in  establishing  my  new  set- 
tlement, had  been  so  particularly  kind  and  atten- 
tive to  me,  as  to  give  directions  to  Governor  Byron 
to  furnish  me  with  such  assistance  as  was  in  his 
power.  In  consequence  of  this,  the  governor  had 
sent  my  brother,  from  St.  John's  in  Newfound- 
land, in  the  Ranger  schooner,  with  Mr.  Dixon,  a 
midshipman;  Mr.  Langman,  a  mate;  two  carpen- 
ters, and  ten  seamen,  under  his  command.     My 


"  Crabbed  Spruce   Bushes  "  at  Cape   Charles 


Venison   Harbour 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  33 

brother  hearing  of  Mrs.  Selby  's  accident,  had  also 
brought  from  Chateau,  ^[r.  John  WilHanis,  a  sur- 
geon's mate,  belonging  to  the  Antelope,  who 
chanced  to  be  there.  Mr.  Dixon  was  with  him,  but 
he  had  left  the  Ranger  at  Seal  Island,  under  the 
care  of  Mr.  Langman,  until  he  should  discover  the 
place  of  my  abode.  We  returned  home  to  break- 
fast, and  afterwards  went  down  to  South  Head 
a  shooting;  where  my  Ijrother  killed  a  brace  of 
spruce-game,^  and  I,  a  curlew.^  In  the  mean  time 
he  sent  the  whale-boat  to  Seal  Island,  to  order  the 
schooner  up  the  river. 

[After  several  days  passed  pleasantly  with  his 
brother  in  shooting  ducks  and  in  hunting  caribou 
and  foxes,  the  Captain  sailed  for  Chateau  and 
then  going  north,  sailed  up  Gilbert's  River,  as  far 
as  the  peninsula  called  Olivestone.] 

Friday,  August  24,  1770.  ^[r.  Langman  went 
on  shore  at  Olivestone  to  roast  a  haunch  of  veni- 
son, and  bake  a  venison  pasty;  just  as  they  were 
ready,  the  woods  caught  fire,  and  burnt  with  great 
fury,  which  forced  him  and  his  assistants  to  make 
a  precipitate  retreat:  though  he  saved  the  venison 
and  implements  of  cookery;  but  a  boat's  sail  and 
a  few  other  things  were  considerably  injured  by 
the  accident. 

Sundaji,  August  ;?^,  1770.  Tlie  schooner  got 
uiidci-  sail  :\\  day-light,  \n\(\  proreedcMl  up  the  river. 

'  Hudsonian  Bpnare  ktousp,  Canachiles  canadcnuis. 

*  Ertkimo  riirlpw,  Numi-nius  horralis,  fomierly  ahunrhint,  and  one  of  the 
most  intprcstinR  and  fharartoristir  \nr<\^>  of  tlio  Labrador  roju^t,  increa«- 
inRlv  rare  sinro  IROO,  now  almost  extiiu-f.  Tliin  is  the  "  dough-bird  "  of 
the  New  England  coatst. 


34  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

At  tlie  same  time  I  landed  on  the  South  shore, 
and  walked  along  it  imtil  I  passed  Grove  Island, 
where  the  boat  took  me  on  board  again.  At  the 
mouth  of  Beaver  Brook  was  a  Momitaineer  ^  whig- 
wham  that  had  been  occupied  very  lately;  and 
near  this  place  we  observed  the  head  of  a  beaver, 
which  appeared  to  be  newly  picked.  I  could  see 
no  difference  of  structure  between  this  whigwham 
and  those  made  by  the  wild  Indians  of  Newfound- 
land. On  some  low  hills,  partly  barren,  and  the 
rest  covered  with  small  bad  spruce-bushes,  were 
many  large  flocks  of  curlews  feeding  on  the  ber- 
ries, which  were  very  plentiful  there;  but  could 
kill  only  one.  The  berries  of  the  Empetrum  Ni- 
grum, and  likewise  some  delicious  blue  berries 
which  grow  on  a  small  shrubby  plant,  called 
Ground  Whortle,^  both  of  which  are  now  ripe,  are 
what  the  curlews  delight  to  feed  on.  These  not 
only  make  them  uncommonly  fat,  but  also  give 
their  flesh  a  most  delicious  flavor. 

In  the  evening  we  anchored  a  little  below  Gil- 
bert's Narrows,  when  my  brother  and  I  landed  on 
the  north  point,  which  is  low,  flat,  and  without 
trees.  There  we  found  another  whigwham  which 
we  concluded  had  been  lately  inhabited,  as  we  saw 
the  fresh  footmarks  of  the  Indians  on  the  sand. 
On  the  upper  side  of  the  point  were  abundance  of 

^  Mountaineer  Indians  or  Montagnais  of  the  southern  half  of  Labrador. 
North  of  Hamilton  Inlet  in  the  interior  dwell  the  Nascaupee  Indians. 
Both  belong  to  the  Algonkin  family. 

2  Probably  bog  whortleberry,  Vaccinium  uliginosum,  called  in  some 
places  on  the  coast  whorts.  Other  blueberries,  V.  ccespitosum,  V.  pennsyl- 
vanicum  and  V.  Canadense,  also  occur  in  Labrador. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  35 

heaver-cut  sticks,  tliat  had  heeii  carried  down  the 
river,  and  had  lodged  there.  From  this  circum- 
stance, I  judged,  that  beavers  must  be  veiy  plen- 
tiful in  the  lakes,  pools,  and  ponds,  which  lie  upon 
these  streams. 

Monday,  August  27,  1770.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing we  weighed,  ran  through  the  narrows,  and 
anchored  again  about  a  mile  above,  near  to  the 
north  shore.  My  brother  and  I  went  higher  up  in 
the  whale-boat,  and  found  several  obstructions 
from  sand-beds.  About  four  miles  above,  are  sev- 
eral small  low  islands,  on  which  grow  many  fine 
white  and  black  spruces.  We  found  the  water 
there  quite  shallow;  having  a  bed  of  very  white 
sand.  On  each  side  there  is  much  useful  timber. 
The  woods,  from  their  appearance,  afford  good 
shelter  for  foxes  ^  and  martens.^  We  saw  many 
signs  of  black-bears,  and  porcupines,^  and  in  the 
river,  salmon ''  are  most  proba])ly  to  be  foimd.  I 
tailed  a  couple  of  traps  for  otters,"  but  did  not  find 

*  The  red  fox  of  Labrador  is  Vulpes  rubiginosa  bangsi.  Of  this  there 
are  fieveral  indi\idual  colour  varieties,  known  a.s  cross  fox,  silver  fox  and 
black  fox.  The  Arctic  fox,  also  called  blue  fox  and  white  fox,  Vulpes 
lagopus  ungava,  is  also  found  on  this  coast. 

*  The  Labrador  form  of  the  marten  or  American  sable,  Mustela  americana 
brumalis. 

^  Labrador  porcuf)inc,  Erelhizon  dormtum  picinum. 

*  Salmon,  Snimo  Sdlar. 

^  Otter,  Lulrn  rnruulmsis.  The  "  nibbing  places  "  are  the  otter  slides. 
The  fact  that  the  otter  slides  down  hill  for  amusement  is  well  attested, 
and  is  of  considerable  interest.  Seton  says,  "  Life-Histories  of  Northern 
Animals,"  1900,  Vol.  H,  P-  S'i4-.  "  This  is  the  only  cjise  I  know  of  among 
American  quadrupeds  where  the  entire  race,  younj?  and  old,  unite  to  keep 
up  an  institution  that  is  not  connected  in  any  way  with  the  instincts  of 
feeding,  fighting,  or  multiplying,  but  is  simply  maintained  as  an  amuee- 
ment." 


36  CAPTAIN   CAET WRIGHT'S 

many  rubbing  places.  On  the  north  side  was  an- 
other fresh  whigwham.  We  observed  in  the  water 
many  geese  ^  and  seals. 

Friday,  August  31, 1770.  We  sailed  at  day-light 
and  anchored  again  off  the  east-end  of  Cartwright 
Island,  where  all  the  shooters  landed  and  stationed 
themselves  across  the  middle  of  it;  each  placing 
himself  within  proper  distance  of  his  next  neigh- 
bour. After  sending  the  two  boats  to  lie  off  differ- 
ent points,  we  dispatched  a  few  of  the  sailors  into 
the  woods  with  the  hounds.  In  the  afternoon,  a 
young  hind  passed  within  shot  of  my  brother,  but 
he  did  not  see  her.  An  hour  after,  I  saw  her  again, 
standing  up  to  her  belly  in  a  pond,  which  was 
above  a  mile  below  me;  there  I  got  within  distance 
and  killed  her.  In  the  course  of  the  day  I  shot 
three  curlews,  three  grouse,"  and  an  auntsary;^ 
the  rest  of  the  party  killed  four  grouse,  one  cur- 
lew, one  auntsary,  and  a  whabby.^ 

Tuesday,  September  4, 1770.  We  arrived  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  [Charles]  at  four  o'clock  this 
morning,  and  there  anchored.  We  then  landed  on 
South  Head,  and  met  with  the  track  of  a  very  large 

^  Canada  goose,  Branta  canadensis. 

2  By  « grouse "  Cartwright  means  the  willow  ptarmigan,  Lagopus 
lagopus.  By  "  pthannakin,  "  or  ptarmigan,  he  means  the  rock  ptarmigan, 
Lagopus  rupestris,  which  is  found  in  Labrador  throughout  the  barren, 
treeless  regions,  except  in  the  extreme  north,  where  it  is  replaced  by  Rein- 
hardt's  ptarmigan,  Lagopus  rupestris  reinhardi.  Cartwright  was  familiar 
with  the  red  grouse  of  Scotland,  Lagopus  scoticus,  a  species  of  ptarmigan, 
which  does  not  turn  white  in  winter,  as  well  as  with  the  ptarmigan  of  that 
country,  Lagopus  mutus,  which  puts  on  a  winter  plumage  of  white. 

» Greater  Yellow-legs,  Totanus  inelanoleucas.  The  name  auntsary  is 
still  used  in  Labrador. 

*  Red-throated  loon,  Gavia  stellata. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  37 

white-bear,  wliieli  was  so  fresh,  that  the  hlootl- 
liouiid  challenged  it.  Ned  drew  upou  it  with  the 
dug  for  a  eoiisideralde  distance,  but  coidd  not  ob- 
tain sight  of  him.  In  the  nieanthne  Mr.  Dixon 
and  I  walked  over  the  hills,  where  we  killed  seven 
curU'Ws  and  three  grouse.  On  our  return  on 
board,  we  got  under  weigh,  ran  up  into  Pond 
Reach,  where  we  anchored  and  moored;  after 
which,  we  came  home  in  the  whale-boat.  The  car- 
penter, whom  my  lu'other  left  here,  died  of  an 
apoplexy  on  the  2nd  of  August.  The  buck  rabbit 
had  the  misfortune  to  be  killed  by  the  greyhound: 
in  consequence  of  which  the  breed  is  lost,  as  the 
surviving  doe  brought  forth  two  female  young 
ones. 

Mondajj,  September  10,  1770.  After  breakfast, 
we  went  in  the  boat  to  the  mouth  of  Island  Brook, 
where  we  landed,  and  Avalked  to  the  top  of  a  steep, 
craggy  hill;  to  which  I  gave  the  name  of  Rugged 
and  'i'oimli.  The  sides  of  this  hill  being  abrupt, 
and  covered  with  short,  rough  spruces  and  firs,* 
about  six  feet  high,  it  was  very  difficult  either  to 
ascend  or  descend.  The  top,  from  whence  there 
is  an  extensive  prospect,  is  barren.  I  killed  1  wo 
brace  of  grouse  there;  and  my  brother,  one  brace, 
and  a  curlew.  On  our  return,  T  tailed  a  snare.  Tn 
the  mean  time,  Mr.  Dixon  mo^'ed  the  schooner  up 
the  I'iver,  and  moored  her  near  the  house. 

At  niid-iiiL;li1  Mr.  Langman  retiu'iicd  fi-om  Tha- 
teau,  and  iiii'orincd  iis,  that  tlic  soiillicrii  ti'ib<'s 
of    I\S(|iiiiii;Mi.\    liad    lately   Ix'cii    there;     but   were 

'  HdlMaiJi  fir,  Ahiis  ftnlsdimd. 


38  CAPTAIN    C  ART  WRIGHT'S 

gone  home  again.  They  had  a  quantity  of  whale- 
bone with  them,  the  greatest  part  of  which  some 
*  Moravians  who  chanced  to  be  there,  had  pur- 
chased. 

Monday,  September  17,  1770.  I  got  three  addi- 
tional men  from  the  Ranger  this  morning;  and  all 
hands  were  employed  to-day,  as  follows:  six  men 
in  the  woods;  three  on  the  drain;  two  carpenters 
slitting  the  planks;  one  at  work  in  the  house; 
and  another  nailing  battens  on  the  paper,  which 
was  put  upon  the  store  roof;  my  brother,  the 
mason,  and  a  helper,  in  setting  up  a  copper  in  the 
kitchen ;  two  men  were  employed  in  bringing  tree- 
roots  out  of  the  garden,  and  piling  them  up  for 
firing;  Mr.  Langman  and  a  boy,  in  building  an 
oven  at  a  little  distance  from  the  house;  another, 
in  stubbing  up  roots  in  the  garden;  and  I  was 
engaged  in  making  four  canvas  bags  for  the  pur- 
pose of  bringing  home  venison,  and  also  in  scra- 
ping the  otter's  skin. 

Wednes.,  September  19,  1770.  Finding  my  pro- 
visions decrease  very  fast,  I  could  not  supply  the 
Ranger's  crew  any  longer,  on  which  occasion  they 
refused  to  work  for  me;  although  I  still  offered 
to  continue  the  payment  of  two  shillings  a  day  to 
each  of  the  carpenters,  and  one  shilling  a  day  each, 
to  all  the  rest. 

*  These  Moravians  ^  went  to  Labrador,  in  a  small  vessel  chartered  by 
the  society,  in  order  to  establish  a  settlement  among  the  Esquimaux;  but 
their  ostensible  purpose,  was  to  convert  the  Indians  to  Christianity. 

*  The  Moravians  established  the  first  permanent  settlement  at  Nain 
in  1771,  although  they  had  visited  Labrador  as  early  as  1752.  At  the 
present  day  they  have  eight  mission  stations  among  the  Eskimos  in  Labra- 
dor from  Makkovik  on  the  south  to  Killinek  on  the  north. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  39 

Tliursdau,  Scpfi inhcr  20,  17  70.  All  the  Ranger's 
people  returned  to  work  again  this  morning,  ex- 
cept John  Shaw;  and  as  he  was  the  ringleader  in 
the  combination,  my  brother  would  not  suffer  him 
to  be  employed  any  more. 

Mr.  Langman  completed  his  oven  to-day;  and 
the  East  end  of  the  house  being  habitable,  I  took 
possession  of  it  this  evening. 

Friday,  September  21,  1770.  We  laid  a  coat  of 
pitched  paper  upon  the  roof  of  the  house,  and  a 
second  covering  of  boards  upon  the  paper.  The 
rest  of  the  hands  were  busy;  some  in  bringing 
timber  out  of  the  woods,  and  others  in  squaring 
it,  while  the  remainder  w^ere  going  on  w^ith  the 
casing  and  other  work.  Mr.  Langman  having 
taken  out  of  the  oven,  the  stones,  which  he  had 
made  use  of  to  turn  the  arch  upon,  was  making 
a  fire  in  it,  in  order  to  bake  a  pie;  w^hen,  alas! 
down  it  fell;  to  the  no  small  mortification  of  us 
all.  I  employed  myself  most  part  of  this  day  in 
skinning  and  spreading  the  otter. 

My  house  not  having  yet  been  distinguished  by 
any  name,  we  called  it  Ranger  Lodge,'  in  honor 
of  his  Majesty's  schooner,  which  was  moored  be- 
fore the  door. 

Thursdn?/,  Septewher  27,  1770.  The  West  end 
of  the  house  took  fire  this  afternoon,  at  the  hi\ck 
of  the  kitr-ben  fireplace;    but  it  was  soon  extin- 

>  Thf  wholo  inlft  into  \vhi<h  tho  Charl<^  Rivor  ninfl  at  whose  motith 
Htood  RunRfr  LoHnf,  is  now  known  :\»  "  The  l.o<ipc'."  At  tho  prosont  time 
all  the  inhfibitimts  of  tho  lit tlf  scttlf-mont  at  Inrlian  Povo,  Capo  Charirs, 
Bail  >ip  this  inlf't  pvery  fall,  and  aacend  the  Charlefl  River  to  the  woods, 
where  they  paBS  the  winter. 


40  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

guisliecl.  It  is  easy  to  perceive,  that  these  wooden 
houses,  are  very  inflaniniable  buildings;  particu- 
larly, when  the  chimneys  are  constructed  with 
boards,  and  the  back  of  the  fireplace  is  a  stone 
wall  four  feet  high  only. 

Sunday,  September  30,  1770.  Mr.  Langman 
killed  a  porcupine  upon  the  hill  at  the  East  end 
of  the  house,  which  I  have  named  Battery  Hill; 
from  a  battery  of  swivel  guns  which  Captain 
Darby  erected  on  it,  to  defend  himself  against  the 
Esquimaux.  I  wrote  several  letters  to  England 
and  Newfoundland;  also  settled  the  accompts  of 
the  Ranger's  crew,  and  gave  them  bills  for  the 
balance.  My  brother  left  me  tliis  evening,  in 
order  to  return  to  St.  John's. 

Tuesday,  October  2, 1770.  Ned  walked  down  the 
river  on  one  side,  and  Charles  on  the  other;  they 
returned  with  three  shellbirds  ^  and  a  saddleback.^ 
I  made  a  spring  for  the  slider  of  my  Hanoverian 
rifle,  and  a  cap  for  my  large-shot  gun. 

A  fall  of  snow  the  whole  day,  for  the  first  time. 

Wednes.,  October  3,  1770.  The  West  end  of 
the  house  took  fire  four  times  to-day;  the 
chimney  of  the  copper  being  too  near  the  studs, 
I  shall  be  under  the  necessity  of  taking  it 
down. 

Thursday,  October  4,  1770.  At  nine  o'clock  at 
night,  two  sailors  belonging  to  the  Enterprize 
came  here  by  land,  with  the  intelligence  of  the  ar- 
rival of  that  vessel,  in  the  mouth  of  the  river  this 

^  Red-breasted  merganser;  shelldrake,  Mergus  serrator. 
2  Great  black-backed  gull,  Larus  marinus. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  41 

morning.  Tlicy  also  informed  me,  llial  Mr.  l^ucas 
had  landed  long  before  tliey  did;  and  came  oft" 
fur  this  place  on  foot;  not  being  able  to  row 
against  the  wind.  I  inmiediately  ordered  a  large 
lire  to  be  made  on  the  top  of  Battery  Hill,  and 
gmis  to  be  tired  freqnently;  being  certain,  that 
he  must  have  quitted  the  river  side,  and  lost  him- 
self in  the  woods. 

Frida//,  October  5,  1770.  At  five  o'clock  this 
morning  ]\Ir.  Lucas,  with  one  of  his  men  (Obrien, 
the  smitli,  who  is  husl^and  to  my  servant-maid) 
having  discovered  the  fire,  found  their  way  here; 
after  having  wandered  about  in  the  woods  all 
night. 

Mr.  Lucas  infoniied  me,  that  after  he  had 
cruised  along  tlie  coast,  some  distance  to  the  north- 
ward; he,  at  length,  had  the  good  fortune  to  dis- 
cover one  of  the  Esquimaux  settlements,  called 
Auchbucktoke;  where  he  had  purchased  a  small 
quantity  of  whalebone,  and  a  few  young  seal 
skins;  and  that  he  had  prevailed  u)ion  the 
chief  of  that  tribe,  together  with  his  family, 
to  accompany  him  hither;  and  to  winter  near 
nie:  in  order,  to  give  me  an  oj^poi-l unity,  of 
laying  a  foundation  for  a  friendly  intercourse  with 
them. 

The  ehief's  name  is  Attuiock,  and  his  family 
consists  of  two  wives,  three  young  children,  a 
bi-othei',  a  nephew,  and  a  maid-sei'vant. 

At  nine  o'clock,  Allniock,  'i'o<>kl.i\  inia,  his 
brolhei-,  ;i  yr>nfli  aboul  seventeen  yeai's  of  age; 
and  Eliiio<-k.  the  iicplu'w,  a  yoidh  of  fifteen;  came 


42  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

up  here  iii  their  kyacks/  and  breakfasted  with  me ; 
after  which  they  went  back,  in  order  to  bring  up 
the  women  and  children.  The  skiff  returned  in 
the  evening,  accompanied  by  the  schooner's  boat; 
and  both  of  them  were  laden  with  goods  intended 
for  Indian  trade.  As  soon  as  the  goods  were 
landed,  I  sent  both  the  boats  back  again.  Attuiock 
returned  in  one  of  them,  to  apologize  for  the  ab- 
sence of  his  wives;  the  weather  being  too  wet  for 
them  to  come  on  shore. 

The  carpenters  finished  the  maid's  cabin,  and 
all  their  other  work  in  the  kitchen.  Charles  and 
Ned  visited  the  slips,  and  the  latter  killed  a  brace 
of  spruce-game;  but  poor  Charles,  who  is  a  better 
soldier  than  a  marksman,  returned  like  the  Knight 
of  the  Sorrowful  Countenance;  for,  in  shooting 
at  a  bird,  he  had  killed  his  dog. 

Saturday,  October  6,  1770.  The  carpenters  be- 
gan to  erect  a  porch  to  the  house  door,  and  the 
rest  of  the  people  were  busy  in  assisting  to  unlade 
the  schooner.  Attuiock  brought  his  wives  and 
children  up  to-day ;  and  they  dined  with  me. 

Sunday,  Octoher  7,  1770.  I  was  engaged  in  wri- 
ting letters  to  England  all  the  forenoon ;  after  din- 
ner I  went  on  board  the  Enterprize,  and  returned 
home  at  night.  One  of  the  people  having  care- 
lessly left  a  bucket  upon  the  deck  yesterday,  with 
a  gallon  of  rum  in  it,  Mr.  Lucas's  goat  drank  al- 
most the  whole  of  the  contents,  and  has  continued 
ever  since  in  so  complete  a  state  of  intoxication, 

*  Skin-covered  boats,  the  characteristic  boat  of  the  Eskimo,  just  as  the 
birch  bark  canoe  is  of  the  Indian. 


LABR^VDOR   JOURNAL  43 


as  to  be  unable  to  get  upou  her  legs.    1  shot  a  bii'd 
called  a  lady. 

Friday,  October  12, 1770.  Early  in  the  mornmg, 
I  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Indians:  but  of  all  the 
people  I  ever  yet  heard  of,  the  Esquimaux,  I  think, 
are  the  most  micleanly.  They  even  exceed  the 
accounts  which  I  have  read  of  the  Hottentots:  for 
they  not  only  eat  the  guts  of  an  animal;  but,  with 
a  still  higher  gout  for  delicacies  of  this  kind,  they 
devour  even  the  contents!  Their  tent  was  highly 
impregnated  with  the  effluvia  of  such  savoury 
dainties.  At  the  farther  end,  a  little  raised  from 
the  ground,  on  pieces  of  boards,  were  al)undance 
of  deer-skins  and  garments,  on  which  they  both 
sat  and  slept ;  the  rest  was  well  tilled  with  vessels 
for  eating  and  drinking;  bags  of  seals'  oil,  ])art 
of  the  carcase  of  a  seal  recently  killed;  fat,  guts, 
fish;  and  a  great  variety  of  other  good  things,  all 
lying  in  glorious  confusion;  on  which  their  dogs 
and  themselves  fed  promiscuously!  The  whole 
was  nauseous  in  the  highest  degree,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  quit  the  place  without  much  reluctance. 
x\fterwards,  I  walked  upon  the  cape  land;  where 
I  killed  a  pair  of  eider  ducks,  a  grouse,  and  a 
ptharmakin. 

Safurdaif,  October  13,  1770.  T  paid  my  friends 
another  visit;  Ickcongogue  Tthe  youngest  wife) 
was  dressing  a  green  seal  skin,  wliich  Imd  Inin  in 
nil  and  filth  some  days,  and  feeding  Iht  infant 
daughter  with  the  scrapings:  as  a  most  clelicions 
morsel.  She  sometiines  indulged  Hie  child  with 
the  tail  nf  a  raw  sculpin  to  suck;   l»ui  Ihe  (ish  Uv- 


44  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

quently  dropping  down,  she  as  often  picked  it  up 
out  of  the  mire  and  presented  it  again. 

I  went  out  fishing  again,  in  tlie  evening,  and 
killed  a  codfish. 

Sunday,  October  21,  1770.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing the  Dispatch  Shallop  arrived  from  Fogo,  laden 
with  provisions,  other  stores,  a  sheep,  a  small  pig, 
and  some  traps.  Six  men,  who  are  hired  to  our 
company  for  the  ensuing  year,  came  in  this  boat; 
two  of  whom  are  furriers.  In  the  afternoon  I  read 
prayers  to  my  family. 

There  was  a  continual  fall  of  snow  all  the  day; 
but  in  the  evening  it  turned  to  rain. 

Tuesday,  October  23,  1770.  I  sent  the  shallop 
to  sea  this  morning  with  four  hands,  to  try  if  they 
could  catch  some  fish.  At  eight  o'clock  a  whale- 
boat  arrived  from  York  Fort ;  in  which,  came  Mr. 
Jones,  the  surgeon;  and  Mr.  Macleod,  a  midship- 
man, on  a  visit  to  me.  At  night  the  three  Indian 
men  came  here,  when  Attuiock  informed  me  of 
the  loss  of  one  of  his  children,  that  had  died  a 
few  days  ago;  also,  he  complained,  that  his  house 
was  too  bad  to  live  in,  and  that  he  could  kill  no 
provisions  there. 

Wednes.,  October  24,  1770.  At  day-light  this 
morning,  observing  a  falcon^  striking  at  my  ducks, 
I  shot  him.  He  was  a  strong,  beautiful,  speckled 
bird.  I  sent  Ned  and  the  two  furriers  to  tail  traps 
for  otters  in  Punt  Pond;  and  gave  orders  to  the 
Chateaumen  for  repairing  an  old  Canadian  house, 
about  half  a  mile  down  the  river;   for  the  better 

*  Perhaps  a  duck  hawk,  Falco  peregrinus  anatum. 


LABRADOR    JOURXAL  45 

aceoimiuKkition  of  Attuiock  and  his  family:  the 
Indians  and  1  walked  down  to  the  place  to  view 
the  premises;  of  which  1  made  them  a  present  in 
dne  form. 

Friddij,  Ocfohc  r  26,  1770.  Early  in  the  morniii<;- 
the  gentlemen  went  off  for  Chateau,  and  I  walked 
home  by  myself;  the  distance  is  twelve  miles.  I 
got  shots  at  an  otter,  and  two  seals,  with  my  little 
rifle;  but  killed  none  of  them.  Ned  and  the  fur- 
riers returned  in  the  evening,  having  killed  only 
a  pied-duck.^  Thej^  had  tailed  a  trap  on  the  land- 
wash  at  the  head  of  Niger  Sound,  which  caught 
me  by  the  foot,  as  I  was  creeping  to  get  a  shot  at 
the  otter.  Charles  Avent  the  north  walk;  he  killed 
a  spruce-game,  and  found  a  rabbit"  and  a  porcu- 
pine in  two  of  the  snares  on  Plare  Hill. 

Safurdaj/,  Ocfohcr  27,  1770.  After  breakfast  I 
took  Charles  and  the  two  furriers  with  me  in  the 
wherry,  and  rowed  down  to  Furriers'  Cove;  where 
w^e  landed,  and  proceeded  to  the  north  walk,  with 
an  intention  of  returning  the  same  way.  AMien 
we  got  upon  North  Head,  I  discovered  an  old  stag, 
with  a  hind  and  her  calf,  upon  Lyon  Neck.  T  then 
sent  the  furriers  to  lie  off  Salt  Point  in  the  wherry, 
in  case  the  deer  should  take  the  wa1  or;  while 
Chaih's  and  I  crossed  at  the  head  <>f  the  Cove,  to 

•  Cartwrighf  spoaks  spvoral  timoa  of  a  "  piofl-ilurk  "  an<l  it  is  possible 
that  ho  refers  to  the  Labrador  durk,  Cnniptnrhi/nrhm  Inhradnrius,  which 
was  also  known  as  the  "  piod  duck."  AlthouKh  it  waw  coniinon  in  Cart- 
wright's  day  it  has  boon  extinct  sinco  about  1874. 

'  Labrador  varying  haro,  L(])im  niiirrirfmvs.  This  haro  is  yrllowish- 
brown  to  drab  in  Hummor,  anrl  piiro  white  in  winter.  The  Labrador 
polar  hare,  lAipwt  labrudoriius,  al»o  occur«  there. 


46  CAPTAIN    CAET WRIGHT'S 

the  leeward  of  them.  I  killed  the  stag,  and,  we 
both  fired  at  the  hind,  but  missed  her.  Another 
stag,  some  years  younger,  then  made  his  appear- 
ance; but  having  discovered  us,  before  we  saw 
him,  I  was  prevented  from  approaching  nearer 
than  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards:  I  fired  at  him, 
but  without  doing  any  execution. 

The  other  tw^o  men  having  joined  us,  we  at- 
tempted to  carry  the  stag  to  the  boat;  but  he  was 
too  heavy  for  us  to  lift  oif  the  ground,  till  he  was 
paunched  and  his  head  cut  off  near  to  his  shoul- 
ders. Even  then,  we  could  carry  him  but  a  few 
yards  at  a  time,  although  he  had  not  an  ounce  of 
fat;  as  this  is  the  rutting  season.  His*  horns  are 
a  noble,  branching  pair;   with  fifty-six  points. 

Thursday,  November  1,  1770.  The  Indian  men 
came  here  this  morning;  and  Attuiock  walked 
with  me  to  Watson  Pond,  where  I  seated  a  little, 
at  which  he  was  greatly  astonished,  having  never 
seen  any  such  thing  before.  From  thence  we  took 
a  short  circuit,  and  looked  at  three  slips.  Attui- 
ock killed  a  spruce-game  with  an  arrow. 

Monday,  November  5,  1770.  At  day-light  I  sent 
the  furriers  to  Watson  Brook,  where  they  found 
three  martens  caught;  and  brought  home  three  of 
the  traps,  which  they  afterwards  tailed  in  the  path 
of  Prospect  Hill;  they  also  built  another  death- 
fall  there.  I  caught  a  marten  near  the  river  side, 
and  tailed  the  two  double-spring  traps  on  the 
north  shore.     Ned  cut  a  path  to  the  brook,  and 

*  The  head  of  this  stag  is  now  in  Averham.  Park  Lodge,  in  the  county 
of  Nottingham. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  47 

the  other  three  men  altered  the  kitchen  chhimey. 
In  the  afternoon  I  made  twenty-four  bridges  and 
tongues  for  deathfalls,  and  caught  two  jays  ^  on 
the  porch,  with  birdlime. 

It  thawed  all  day;  some  showers  of  small  snow 
iell;  but  it  began  to  freeze  again  at  night. 

Wedues.,  Novemhcr  7,  1770.  The  two  jays 
v.-hich  I  caught  on  the  fifth  instant,  I  have  hitherto 
kej)t  confined  in  a  cage;  but  they  now  have  the 
liberty  of  the  room;  and  I  was  greatly  surprised 
to  see  them  fly  to  me  for  food,  and  familiarly  perch 
upon  my  hand:  they  even  suffered  me  to  stroke 
them  with  one  hand,  while  they  were  eating  some 
pork  fat  out  of  the  other. 

Friday,  November  9,  1770.  At  nine  o'clock  this 
moraing,  an  old  stag,  a  hind,  and  her  calf,  came 
down  the  river  upon  the  ice,  and  stopped  opposite 
to  the  house;  there  was  also  a  young  stag,  follow- 
ing at  a  distance.  I  snatched  up  my  Hanoverian 
rifle,  and  should  certainly  have  killed  the  hind, 
but  the  gun  was  not  loaded.  On  hearing  the  snap 
of  the  cock,  they  hastily  ran  back  again.  As  soon 
as  I  had  loaded  the  piece,  I  took  it,  with  my  little 
rifle,  and  walked  up  the  rivei*  <tn  this  side:  but, 
finding  that  they  had  taken  the  woods  on  the  othei-, 
I  returned,  crossed  before  the  dooi',  and  hastened 
for  Prospect  Hill;  sending  Charles  and  the  boy 
with  a  bloodhound,  1o  draw  upoii  llic  slot.  Fpon 
the  hill,  T  ^-ame  upon  tlicir  slot  in  the  snow,  and 
soon  gr)t  witliin  a  hnndrctl  yni'ds  of  tlicm:    when 

'  Lfihniflor  .Iiiy,  /^  n.wn/.v  rnnml' usis  iii(jrira]riUnt<,  a  bird  thut  rcsciublrH 
clojoly  the  Caoadu  Jay,  or  whiakey  jack. 


48  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

I  killed  the  liiiid  with  one  gun,  and  shot  the  calf 
through  the  neck  with  the  other.  The  stags  went 
off  and  crossed  Long  Pool ;  I  followed  the  calf  for 
about  a  mile,  and  shot  her  through  the  side;  but 
was  obliged  to  slip  my  greyhound,  before  I  could 
secure  her.  I  stripped  and  quartered  both  the 
deer,  and  hung  the  venison  upon  some  trees. 
While  I  was  employed  on  the  hind,  a  raven  ^  came 
and  perched  on  a  tree  within  shot,  and  I  killed  him, 
also.  I  did  not  get  home  till  the  evening,  and  was 
both  tired  and  wet;  for  the  snow  was  a  foot  deep 
on  the  ground,  and  the  trees  were  loaded  with  it. 

Sunday,  November  11, 1770.  The  Indians  made 
me  a  visit  today,  and  complained,  that  their  pro- 
visions were  entirely  exhausted.  I  gave  them  a 
skin-bag  of  oil,  which  Mr.  Lucas  purchased  at 
Auchbucktoke,  and  left  here.  No  people  on  earth, 
I  think,  except  themselves,  would  have  eaten  its 
contents;  for  it  had  been  filled  with  phrippers, 
pieces  of  flesh,  and  rands  of  seals'  fat.  It  was  a 
complete  mixture  of  oil  and  corruption,  with  an 
intolerable  stench;  even  the  very  sight  of  it  was 
nauseous.  The  Indians,  however,  were  of  a  dif- 
ferent opinion,  and  considered  it  as  a  most  luxuri- 
ous treat.  I  had  a  marten  in  my  trap  on  Dog 
Point. 

Saturday,  November  17,  1770.  This  morning  I 
ordered  Charles  and  Haines  to  make  the  necessary 
preparations,  and  attend  me  to  Chateau;  to  return 
the  visit  of  my  friends  Messrs.  Jones  and  Mac- 
leod:    accordingly,  being  provided  with  a  proper 

^  Northern  raven,  Corvus  corax  'principalis. 


LABRADOR    JOCRXAT.  49 

supply  of  provisions  for  the  day,  we  began  our 
journey,  with  an  intention  of  trying  to  find  some 
beavers  by  the  way.  AVe  went  up  the  path  to 
Prospect  Hill;  and  proceeded  to  the  bottom  of 
Island  Lake.  We  rununaged  the  north  side  of  the 
lake,  together  with  a  small  pond  adjoining,  and 
found  one  new  beaverhouse  and  three  old  ones. 
Evening  ap]:>roaching,  when  we  got  to  the  head  of 
the  lake;  we  did  not  go  far  up  the  brook,  before 
we  constructed  a  back-tilt;  we  made  a  good  fire 
in  front,  and  passed  the  night  there.  Li  our  way, 
we  found  a  marten  in  one  of  the  traps  in  the  path 
of  Prospect  Hill. 

Siuidcuj,  Novemher  18,  1770.  At  day-light  this 
morning  we  pursued  our  route,  and  at  noon 
reached  the  summit  of  a  high  hill,  with  a  l)are  top; 
but  not  being  able  to  discern  the  sea  from  that 
situation;  I  concluded  we  must  have  kept  too  far 
to  the  westward.  Tlie  prospect  around  us  was 
extensive  and  pleasing;  but,  as  the  country  be- 
tween us  and  Chateau  Avas  covered  with  thick 
woods,  as  far  as  we  could  see;  and  the  distance 
uncertain;  and  what  was  of  greater  consequence 
than  all  the  rest;  w^e  had  no  provisions  for  the 
supply  of  the  following  day:  therefore,  T  judged 
it  prudent  to  retui-n  back  again  to  the  place  which 
we  left  this  morning.  Tn  the  course  of  the  day's 
walk,  we  found  several  old  beaverhouses;  also, 
some  very  large  timber,  both  of  larch  and  black 
spruce;  but  they  ai-e  too  f.-ii*  I'l'om  home  to  be  of 
any  use  to  me.  Chai'les  killed  a  brace  of  spruce- 
game. 


50  CAPTAIN    CxVRT WRIGHT'S 

Monday,  November  19,  1770.  I  set  off  home- 
ward by  myself  this  morning  at  day-light;  and 
upon  a  small  island  in  Island  Brook,  I  had  the 
satisfaction  of  finding  a  large  new  beaverhouse; 
which  appeared  to  be  inhabited  by  a  numerous 
crew.  There  was  a  magazine  of  provisions  de- 
posited in  the  water,  a  few  yards  before  the  front 
of  it,  sufficient  to  have  loaded  a  waggon;  and  the 
tops  of  the  sticks  appeared  a  foot  above  the  ice. 
On  each  side  of  the  house,  I  observed,  they  had 
kept  a  hole  open  through  the  ice,  for  some  days 
after  the  pond  was  frozen  over;  that  they  might 
work  upon  it.  The  sight  of  this  house,  convinced 
me,  that  all  those  which  I  had  hitherto  seen,  were 
old  ones,  and  uninhabited  by  the  beavers. 

Arriving  at  the  head  of  Long  Pool,  I  met  with 
the  sliding  of  an  otter;  which  was  so  fresh,  that 
my  greyhound  challenged  it;  and  I  soon  discov- 
ered him  fishing  in  the  disemboguing  of  the  brook, 
where  it  was  yet  open.  I  sat  watching  for  an  hour ; 
in  which  time  he  caught  plenty  of  small  trouts: 
he  then  got  upon  a  small  rock,  which  was  at  least 
one  hundred  yards  from  my  station;  and,  while 
he  was  making  room  for  some  more  fish,  I  sent  a 
ball  through  him,  and  killed  him  upon  the  spot. 
I  fixed  him  upon  my  back  and  hastened  home, 
where  I  arrived  at  noon;  and  found  his  weight 
to  be  thirty-three  pounds.  The  two  men,  whom 
I  left  behind  me  to  examine  some  small  ponds, 
returned  at  one  o'clock,  and  brought  a  brace  of 
spruce-game. 

Monday,  November  26,  1770.    Charles  and  Ned 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  51 

went  to  the  traps  and  deathfalls  on  Nescaupick 
Ridge;  also  to  the  beaverhouse  on  that  side,  and 
iH'ought  home  an  old  beaver,  that  weighed  forty- 
five  pounds.  They  found  all  the  traps  and  death- 
falls  robbed  by  martens,  and  choked  with  snow. 
On  their  return,  they  observed  that  three  deer  had 
followed  them  for  a  short  distance;  and  then 
quitted  the  path. 

Wednes.,  November  28,  1770.  Early  in  the 
morning,  ordered  Charles,  Ned,  Milmouth,  and 
Haines  to  launch  the  wherry  over  the  ice  into  the 
water;  intending  to  go  to  Eyre  Island  after  the 
deer:  but,  not  being  able  to  get  much  low^er  than 
the  Narrows,  we  landed  on  the  South  shore,  and 
walked  to  Seal  Island.  We  arrived  there  at  sun- 
set, and  found  that  the  season  for  catching  seals  ^ 
had  just  begun.  The  crew  had  most  of  their  nets 
out,  and  above  thirty  seals  on  shore. 

Fn'daj/,  Novewber  30,  1770.  The  seals  came  in 
shoals  to-day;  none  but  stragglers  having  appeared 
before.    I  shot  one  with  my  rifle;  but  it  sunk. 

Monday,  December  3,  1770.  Seals  wTre  very 
plentiful  to-da}^;  but  the  weather  turned  out  so 
bad,  that  the  people  could  not  visit  more  than  half 
their  nets.  Tlie  whole  consist  of  twelve  shoal  nets, 
(•f  forty  fathoms  by  two;  and  three  stoppers  of 
a  Inuxlrcfl  and  thirty  fathoms  by  six.  The  latter 
aic  made  fast  at  one  end  to  "\^^lite-Fox  Island;  and 

'  Thr  harp  Hfal,  J'hnrn  (irmiUinilira,  is  flic  onr  most  frc(|U(Mitly  tnkon 
on  fho  I/ahnulor  (VkihI,  but  tlic  following  hIso  occur:  hooded  seal,  Ti/.t/o- 
phnra  rristnln:  (frJi.V  Hoal,  HaJirhariix  frn/])u.<^ :  boardfvl  ncal,  ErignathuJi 
hnrhntun;  ringed  seal,  Phoca  hinpiiin;  harbour  seal,  I'hnrn  ntidina  con- 
color. 


52  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

at  tlie  other  to  capstans,  which  are  fixed  on  this 
island;  by  these  means,  the  headropes  are  either 
lowered  to  the  bottom,  or  raised  to  the  surface 
of  the  water,  at  pleasure :  and,  being  placed  about 
forty  yards  behind  each  other,  form  two  pounds. 
There  is  a  narrow  tickle  of  twenty  yards  in  width, 
between  this  island  and  the  continent;  across 
which  a  net  is  fixed,  to  stop  the  seals  from  passing 
through.    I  shot  a  raven  with  my  rifle. 

Wednes.,  December  5,  1770.  At  eleven  o'clock 
this  morning  I  set  off  homeward,  accompanied  by 
my  two  men;  but  separated  from  them  on  the  top 
of  Twelve  o'clock  Head.  When  I  came  to  Cross 
Pond,  I  found  myself  sinking  with  extreme  exer- 
tion; which  I  had  been  obliged  to  make,  to  get 
through  the  thick,  stubborn,  bushes,  that  grew  on 
the  West  side  of  the  Head.  I  therefore  left  my 
gun,  hatchet,  and  rackets;  and  also  all  which  my 
pockets  contained.  At  half  after  four  I  got  home; 
but  was  so  completely  worn  out  with  fatigue,  that 
I  was  scarce  able  to  speak  for  an  hour;  and  was 
with  difficult}^  kept  from  fainting,  during  the 
greatest  part  of  that  time.  My  attendants  found 
a  better  way  down  the  hill,  and  arrived  an  hour 
after  me,  very  little  worse  with  their  journey.  As 
I  did  not  expect  to  walk  much,  I  had,  unfortu- 
nately, put  on  an  under  waistcoat,  and  a  pair  of 
drawers,  made  of  lambs'  skins,  with  the  wool 
inwards,  which  heated  me  most  intolerably. 

I  found  every  thing  had  been  neglected  in  my 
absence:  the  beaverhouse  was  frozen  up;  the 
traps  and  deathfalls  choked  with  snow;  and  only 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  53 

four  martens  brought  in.  1  had  the  cramp  se- 
verely all  night. 

Tliursihuj,  Dccchihcr  (J,  17 }0.  i  had  a  slight 
fever,  and  was  much  troubled  with  the  cramp  all 
day.  Finding  my  head  man  to  be  a  drunken, 
worthless,  fellow,  I  degraded  him;  and  a})pointed 
Obrien  in  his  place. 

At  night  tlie  Indian  maid-servant  came  here, 
and  informed  me,  that  her  master  had  attempted 
to  kill  her;  and  that  he  and  his  family  had  threat- 
ened to  murder  me  and  all  my  people.  Altliough 
I  did  not  give  much  credit  to  her;  yet,  I  thought 
it  prudent  to  load  all  my  fire-arms,  lest  there  might 
be  some  truth  in  the  report;  especially  as  my  ])eo- 
ple  were  under  great  apprehension  of  danger, 
from  the  account  of  the  Indian  women.  She  re- 
mained here  all  night. 

Attuiock,  accompanied  Ijy  one  of  his  wives  and 
his  brother,  came  here  this  morning  after  the  girl; 
and  spent  the  day  with  me.  Finding  the  affair 
to  be  only  a  slight  quarrel,  I  reconciled  the  par- 
ties; and  they  all  returned  home  in  the  evening, 
apparently  good  friends.  By  the  insl  ruction  I 
received  from  a  very  imperfect  vocnbiil-iiy  ot*  t1ie 
Esquimaux  language,  which  ^\r.  T^ucas  wi-ote  out, 
we  were  mutually  enal)l('(l  lo  undcrslnnd  e;ich 
other;  but  it  was  a  woi'k  of  great  difficnll  \',  ;iiid 
pioved  very  tedious,  for  we  often  were  iimch  cm- 
barrasserl  in  our  conversation. 

W((hi(  s.,  Drrrmhrr  17.  1770.  T  W(Mit  down  the 
ii\cr  ;\]\<\  \isit('d  flic  1r;ips;  ;ils(>  r('iii(>\('(l  llinl 
wliich  ('liai-lcs  tailed  fm-  a  fox   \'estci-da\',  and  set 


54  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

it  for  an  otter;  together  with  five  snares  for  rab- 
bits. Although  they  are  pretty  numerous  in  the 
woods,  yet  they  are  not  easy  to  be  caught,  because 
they  do  not  keep  any  path.  I  afterwards  called 
on  the  Indians,  begged  some  seal's  flesh  for  my 
dogs,  and  some  oil  for  the  lamps ;  at  the  same  time 
gave  them  an  invitation  to  the  lodge;  on  which 
they  accompanied  me  back  to  my  house,  and  dined 
with  me:  one  dish,  among  the  rest,  consisted  of  a 
fox;  which  was  boiled,  and  tasted  very  well. 

Thursday^  December  13,  1770.  Four  men  were 
sawing,  and  three  making  sleds  and  dogs.  Took- 
lavinia  came  this  morning  with  his  dog,  and  went 
with  the  furriers,  to  try  if  he  could  find  under 
what  part  of  the  pond  bank,  the  beavers  had  taken 
up  their  abode:  but  the  cur  would  not  hunt. 
Charles  visited  his  traps,  but  got  nothing.  I  went 
to  those  which  are  down  the  river,  but  nothing 
had  been  caught.  Observed  two  otters  going 
downwards  under  the  ice,  and  frequently  coming 
upon  it  through  cracks  and  holes,  w^hich  they 
found,  (being  low- water  mark:)  I  headed  them  a 
considerable  distance,  and  then  w^alked  upwards, 
until  I  met  with  a  hole,  near  which  I  sat  watching 
for  three  hours.  They  then  came  through  it  upon 
the  ice,  when  I  fired  upon  them  with  my  double- 
barrel,  and  knocked  them  both  over;  but  one  got 
down  the  hole  again,  before  I  could  get  at  him,  and 
made  his  escape;  the  other  was  killed  dead. 

Saturday,  December  15,  1770.  While  I  was  at 
breakfast,  the  house  was  discovered  to  be  in 
flames.     The  penthouse,  which  was  constructed 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL 


00 


over  the  t'uiinel  of  the  stove,  had  taken  tire,  and 
connnunieated  it  to  the  roof.  Fcn-tnnately,  how- 
ever, seven  men  were  at  home,  hy  whose  assistance 
it  was  extingnished;  yet  not  before  I  had  almost 
despaired  of  saving  the  honse:  for  we  had  much 
diUfienlty  in  access  to  water;  the  boy  having  neg- 
lected to  open  the  hole  throngh  the  ice,  which  I 
had  directed  always  to  ])e  kept  clear.  I  then 
shifted  the  gunpowder  into  the  store,  for  fear  of 
a  similar  accident. 

Charles  altered  some  deathfalls;  ])ut  the  frost 
was  too  severe  to  do  much  at  them.  Three  of 
the  men  were  slightly  frostburnt,*  and  most  of 
them  seared.  Tlie  pig  was  so  much  burnt,  that  I 
was  forced  to  kill  it;  and  was  obliged  to  house  the 
fowls,  their  combs  and  feet  being  frozen  stiff. 

The  day  was  clear,  and  calm;  and  the  frost  un- 
commonly severe :  for  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing the  mercury  stood  at  25°  below^  0. 

SiDuJnjj,  December  16,  1770.  I  sent  Ned  with 
the  Indians,  to  try  if  they  could  walk  down  to  Seal 
Island  upon  tlie  ice;  but  they  could  not  get  any 
lower  than  Otter  Island.  On  their  return,  they 
met  with  an  otter  upon  the  ice  in  Charles  Harbour, 
and  killed  him  with  the  grey-hound.  I  made  a 
visit  to  the  Indian  ladies,  in  the  morning;  and  read 
prayers  to  my  family  in  tlie  affoi-noon. 

A  fortnight  ago,  I  placed  a  box  of  earth  near  the 
top  of  the  stove,  and  sowed  some  seeds  in  it:  tliere 

*  Frofltbumt  is  a  fprm  usp*l  in  this  part  of  fho  world,  to  HiRnify  thnt. 
tho  flf«h  is  amfizinKJy  benTimbwi  with  mid.  so  as  to  rondor  it  ralioiis. 
It  hftfl  not  unfreqiipntly  happonrni,  that  poopjp  have  lost  the  use  of  thoir 
limbfl,  by  the  severity  of  the  frost. 


56  CAPTAIN   C  ART  WRIGHT'S 

are  now  cucumbers,  mustard,  cresses,  and  onions 
coming  up. 

A  fine  day,  and  at  noon  the  mercury  stood  at  5°. 

Monday,  December  17, 1770.  I  employed  all  the 
men  near  the  house  to-day.  In  the  evening  the 
three  Indian  men  came  here ;  and,  from  the  effects 
of  some  liquor,  were  exceedingly  noisy  and  troub- 
lesome. I  had  a  sallad  at  dinner;  which  I  may 
venture  to  affirm,  was  the  first  ever  cut  upon  this 
coast  in  the  month  of  December. 

Continual  snow  all  day. 

Wednes.,  Decemher  19, 1770.  The  Indians,  hav- 
ing been  to  Seal  Island  with  their  sled,  brought  a 
couple  of  seals'  carcasses  for  my  dogs;  some  seal- 
skins; a  bottle  of  seal's  oil,  and  some  other  things 
I  had  left  there. 

As  the  construction  of  an  Esquimaux  sled  ^  dif- 
fers so  widely,  and  is,  I  think,  so  much  superior 
to  all  others  which  have  yet  come  to  my  knowl- 
edge; a  particular  description  may  not  be  un- 
worthy of  notice :  It  is  made  of  two  spruce  planks, 
each  twenty-one  feet  long,  fourteen  inches  broad, 
and  two  inches  thick,  which  are  hewn  out  of  sep- 
arate trees  (because  they  are  not  acquainted  with 
the  use  of  the  pitsaw.)  They  are  placed  collater- 
ally with  their  upper  edges  at  a  distance  of  about 
a  foot  asunder;  but  the  under  edges  are  somewhat 
more,  and  secured  in  that  position  by  a  batten, 
two  inches  square,  which  is  placed  close  under  the 
upper  edges.  The  fore  ends  are  sloped  off  from 
the  bottom  upwards,  that  they  may  rise  over  any 

*  Komatik. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  57 

inequalities  upon  the  road.  IJoards  ol'  eighteen 
inches  long  are  set  across  the  upper  edges  of  the 
sled,  three  inches  asunder,  to  place  the  goods  upon; 
and  to  accommodate  the  driver  and  others  with  a 
seat.  The  under  edges  are  shod  with  the  jaw  l)one 
of  a  whale,  cut  into  lengths  of  two  or  three  feet, 
half  an  inch  thick;  and  are  fastened  on  witli  pegs 
of  the  same.  This  shoeing  is  dural)lc,  and  makes 
them  slide  very  glil)ly.  The  woodwork  is  sewed 
together  with  split  whale])one.  A  cou]^le  of  holes 
are  bored  through  the  fore  ends  of  each  plank;  in 
which  are  inserted  the  two  ends  of  a  strong,  short 
thong,  made  out  of  the  hide  of  a  sea-cow/  and 
secured  by  a  knot;  and  to  the  middle  part  of  the 
thong,  a  separate  one  is  fastened,  from  each  dog. 
Tliey  make  use  of  any  number  of  dogs,  as  occasion 
may  require:  and  their  thongs  are  of  different 
lengths;  always  minding  that  the  dog  which  is 
best  trained,  has  the  longest.  The  driver  sits  fore- 
most of  the  company,  with  a  very  long  thonged 
whip  in  his  hand;  but  the  handle  is  short  in  pro- 
portion to  the  whip,  being,  not  more  than  a  foot. 
The  motion  of  the  sled  is  very  easy,  and  half  a 
dozen  ]')eople  may  travel  forty  miles  a  day,  without 
difficulty,  if  they  have  fourteen  or  fifteen  dogs 
yoked. 

Moiidaii,  Drrrwhrr  2t  1770.    At  sun-set  the  ]ieo- 

'  CartwriEht  d'u]  not  mrnn  tlm  innnafpf'  or  poa-row,  Mfinntni^  Jnli- 
roHlrix.  wh'wh  is  southf-rn  in  its  distrihtition.  lie  referred  to  tlie  Atl:iiiti(^ 
walnis,  Trirhrrhux  rostnarus,  whieli  fonncrly  extended  its  ranpe  to  Routlicrn 
Lfibrador,  and  Xova  Srotia.  If  was  variously  known  l)y  tlie  early  ex- 
plorers as  the  sea-row.  sea-ox.  sea-lK)rse  and  tnorse.  while  Lese.-irhot  says 
that  the  creatures  Been  in  the  iJay  of  Seven  islands  were  "  liippoiiotami  "! 


58  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

pie  ushered  in  Christmas,  according  to  the  New- 
foundland custom.  In  the  first  place,  they  built 
up  a  prodigious  large  fire  in  their  house ;  all  hands 
then  assembled  before  the  door,  and  one  of  them 
fired  a  gun,  loaded  with  powder  only;  afterwards 
each  of  them  drank  a  dram  of  rum;  concluding  the 
ceremon}^  with  three  cheers.  These  formalities 
being  performed  with  great  solemnity,  they  re- 
tired into  their  house,  got  drunk  as  fast  as  they 
could,  and  spent  the  whole  night  in  drinking,  quar- 
relling, and  fighting.  It  is  but  natural  to  suppose, 
that  the  noise  which  they  made  (their  house  being 
but  six  feet  from  the  head  of  my  bed)  together 
with  the  apprehension  of  seeing  my  house  in 
flames,  prevented  me  from  once  closing  my  eyes. 
This  is  an  intolerable  custom;  but  as  it  has  pre- 
vailed from  time  immemorial,  it  must  be  submitted 
to.    By  some  accident  my  thermometer  got  broke. 

Tuesday,  December  25,  1770.  The  people  were 
all  drunk,  quarrelling,  and  fighting  all  day.  It 
snowed  early  in  the  morning,  the  forenoon  was 
dull,  and  the  rest  of  the  day  clear,  with  hard  frost. 

Sunday,  December^  30,  1770.  After  breakfast  I 
took  Ned  with  me  and  intended  to  walk  down  to 
Eyre  Island;  but,  near  Barred  Island,  coming 
upon  the  fresh  slot  of  fifteen  deer,  leading  towards 
Punt  Pond,  we  followed  them.  On  one  of  the  small 
ponds  we  met  with  the  tracks  of  four  stout  wolves,* 

'  Gray  wolf,  called  also  timber  wolf,  Cams  occidentalis.  The  resem- 
blance between  the  Eskimo  dog  of  the  Eastern  Labrador  coast  and  this 
wolf  is  very  striking.  ^Tiile  the  wolf,  however,  carries  its  tail  out  behind, 
the  Eskimo  dog  generally  cnrls  it  \ip  over  its  back.  The  wolf  of  Europe 
is  by  some  considered  the  same  as  the  American  gray  wolf. 


LABRxVDOR    JOURNAL  59 

which  had  but  just  passed.  AMieii  we  arrived  at 
Niger  Sound  we  saw  the  slot  ot*  other  small  com- 
panies of  deer;  some  of  which  were  gone  towards 
Drifty  Mountains,  and  the  rest  upon  the  cape  land. 
The  day  behig  then  far  spent  we  hastened  to  Seal 
Island,  where  we  arrived  at  five  in  the  eveninsr.  I 
had  then  the  pleasure  to  be  informed,  that  Guy 
and  his  people  had  killed  near  eight  hundi'ed  seals, 
and  had  got  all  their  nets  on  shore.  On  Niger 
Sound  we  saw  a  good  silver  fox;  and  I  killed  a 
grouse  on  the  cajoe  land  with  my  rifle. 

It  was  a  very  fine  day,  although  the  frost  was 
severe. 

Sunday,  January  6, 1771.  My  maid-sen^ant  and 
boy  not  being  very  well,  I  took  some  blood  from 
both  of  them;  and  gave  the  latter  two  doses  of 
James's  powder,^  of  seven  grains  each.  After 
breakfast  I  paid  a  visit  to  my  neighbours. 

Wednes.,  January  9,1771.  I  took  Ned  with  me 
up  the  river,  where  I  tailed  five  snares  for  rabbits, 
caught  a  grouse  with  a  partridge  not,  and  shot  a 
spruce-game  with  my  rifle.  A  wolf  had  lately  been 
frequently  traversing  the  river,  and  had  made 
himself  a  very  snug  kennel  upon  the  bank  in  the 
snow,  whore  some  long  grass  groAV.  Attuiook  and 
Toukhixinia  came  here  this  evening,  and  informed 
me,  that  they  had  met  with  a  herd  of  deer  to-day 
upon  Great  Caribou:  and  that  Attuiock  would 
have  killed  one  of  them,  had  he  not  broke  his  arrow 
in  drawiiijx  his  bow  so  strong,  as  to  oaf  oh  Iho  ]-)oint 

'  A  rolfhnif«<l  nnstnirri  of  Dr.  .Tjinii-s,  nri  Mnnlisli  plivHiciMti  who  died 
in  1770,  couiixjbctl  of  oxide  of  untinioiiy  und  plio.spliute  of  c-ulcium. 


60  CAPTAIN    CAKTWRIGHT'S 

in  tlie  inside  of  it.  Tlie  deer  then  went  off  for 
Lyon  Neck;  and  tliey  returned  home.  They  also 
said,  that  a  wolf  had  been  in  one  of  the  lower  traps, 
but  had  gotten  out  again. 

Thu7'sday,  January  10,  1771.  Taking  Charles, 
Ned,  Milmouth,  and  the  greyhound  with  us,  Attui- 
ock  and  I  went  in  quest  of  the  deer.  Judging  that 
they  would  be  found  near  Cutter  Harbour,  we  went 
up  the  sawyers'  path  by  Watson  Pond,  and 
crossed  at  the  foot  of  Belvoir  Hill  to  the  head  of 
Atkinson  Pond;  but  not  meeting  with  their  slot 
there,  we  walked  down  the  lake  to  Lyon  Neck; 
where  the  Lidian  left  us  and  returned  home.  Soon 
after,  we  came  upon  the  slot  of  the  deer,  and  fol- 
lowed them  to  the  top  of  Lyon  Head;  at  which 
place,  the  grejdiound  was  so  eager  to  get  loose, 
that  we  judged  they  must  have  been  feeding  there 
very  lately:  night  now  overtaking  us,  we  retired 
a  little  way  imder  the  side  of  a  hill;  made  a  good 
fire,  and,  considering  the  weather  was  extremely 
cold,  and  we  lay  in  the  open  air,  on  the  Labrador 
coast,  we  passed  a  tolerably  comfortable  night. 

Friday,  January  11,  1771.  The  frost  was  so 
immoderately  severe  this  morning,  that  we  did  not 
leave  the  fire  before  the  sun  was  up,  we  then  pro- 
ceeded along  the  North  East  side  until  we  got  to 
the  extreme  point  of  the  hill,  that  we  might  get 
to  leeward  of  the  deer.  At  nine  o'clock  we  dis- 
covered them  feeding  by  the  side  of  a  bleak  hill, 
not  far  from  where  we  slept:  Ave  approached  as 
near  to  them  as  the  situation  would  permit,  and 
there  lay  watching,  in  expectation  that  they  would 


LABR.U)OR    JOURNAL  61 

soon  shift  their  ground;  but  not  tinding  them  dis- 
posed to  move,  and  the  frost  increasing,  we  at- 
tempted to  gain  their  right,  but  they  discerned  us 
and  gallopped  away  till  they  came  upon  the  iee 
in  the  harbour;  where  tliey  lay  down,  about  three 
hundred  yards  from  the  shore.  Tliere  I  flattered 
myself  that  the  dog  Avould  luiA'e  been  a  match  for 
one  of  them,  and  I  divided  the  people  in  order 
to  surround  the  herd,  but  the^y  were  too  cunning 
for  us.  On  their  rising,  the  dog  was  slipped,  when 
he  soon  ran  in  and  separated  them,  but  they  jomed 
again  presently;  and  there  being  about  six  inches 
of  light  snow  upon  the  ice,  with  a  thin  shell,  frozen 
on  the  to]),  the  dog  struck  so  deej)  in,  and  cut  his 
legs  so  much,  that  he  was  at  length  ol)liged  to  de- 
sist from  the  pursuit.  Never  did  I  see  creatures 
more  sensible  of  the  advantage  they  had,  or  make 
better  use  of  it.  At  first  starting  they  ran  up  wind, 
and  keeping  as  close  together  as  possible,  they 
kicked  up  such  a  shower  of  frozen  snow,  that  I 
could  scarcely  discern  the  dog  when  he  was  near 
them;  and  wondered  at  his  resolution  in  continu- 
ing the  chase.  "When  they  came  near  the  shore, 
they  wheeled  gently  round,  well  knowing,  that  they 
could  not  run  there  near  so  well  as  on  the  ice,  and 
niighl  be  in  danger  of  an  ambuscade.  As  the  dog 
abated  of  his  speed,  they  diniiiiislicd  Ilicii-s;  and 
when  he  gave  up  the  pursuit,  they  ran  no  longer, 
but  turned  about  and  looked  at  him.  On  obsci'ving 
our  attempts  to  surround  them,  they  trotted  away 
upon  the  ice  towards  Great  Taribou,  passing  be- 
tween Eyre  Island  and  I>ii<l('  Caril)ou.    This  h(>rd 


62  CAPTAIN    CART  WEIGHT'S 

of  deer,  eighteen  in  number,  were  all  hinds  and 
calves;  and  I  believe,  that  the  slot  which  we  saw 
some  time  ago,  was  made  by  them. 

Great  Caribou  being  a  barren  island,  and  hav- 
ing no  shelter  near  it,  we  were  under  the  necessity 
of  returning  home,  though  the  distance  is  seven 
miles:  accordingly  we  made  the  best  of  our  way, 
and  arrived  safe ;  but  were  most  completely  tired. 
By  the  way  we  had  a  yellow  fox  in  one  of  the  traps. 

Tuesday,  January  15,  1771.  At  day-light  this 
morning,  taking  Charles,  Milmouth,  and  Haines 
with  me,  I  set  off  for  Eyre  Island.  I  found  my  way 
to  the  tilt  very  well;  but  the  men  lost  themselves 
for  some  time.  I  sent  one  of  the  woodmen  to  Seal 
Island,  and  two  of  them  home.  The  tilt  not  being 
finished,  we  all  lay  in  the  woods,  where  we  passed 
a  most  uncomfortable  night. 

At  midnight  the  frost  increased;  the  wind  blew 
the  fire  about,  and  made  it  smoke  most  intolerably. 
The  fuel  was  not  of  a  good  kind  for  burnings  and 
the  trees  in  the  wood  being  small  and  rather  thinly 
scattered,  those  parts  of  us  which  were  not  imme- 
diately next  to  the  fire  were  ready  to  freeze:  we 
were  therefore  obliged  to  turn  ourselves  continu- 
ally; during  which  time  I  often  wished  to  be 
lashed  to  a  spit,  and  turned  like  a  roasting  goose, 
without  the  trouble  of  doing  it  myself. 

Thursday,  January  17,  1771.  Early  this  morn- 
ing I  went  to  great  Caribou,  and  walked  all  over 
that  Island;  but  the  deer  were  gone;  and  I  saw 
only  the  tracks  of  a  wolf  and  some  foxes.  The 
tilt  was  so  far  finished  to-day,  that  we  all  lay  in 


LABHADOK    JOURNAL  63 

it,  and  1  got  a  most  luxurious  uigiit's  sleep.  The 
Indians  came  here  in  their  w  ay  to  JSeal  island,  and 
remained  with  us  all  night. 

Sunday,  Jtuuiartj  20,  1771.  At  nuon  our  sealers 
and  all  the  peoi)le  went  off  for  Seal  Island,  and  I 
aeeompanied  them  as  far  as  South  Head:  from 
whence  I  took  a  circuit  over  the  Barrens  and  then 
returned  home,  having  three  of  my  toes  frostburnt 
a  little.  As  they  were  not  very  bad,  the  innnedi- 
ate  application  of  snow  only  soon  revived  them. 
All  my  people  returned  from  the  tilt  in  the  evening. 

Moiiday,  Jaituarij  28,  1771.  In  the  evening  Guy 
arrived  here,  and  informed  me,  that  on  Friday  last, 
he  should  have  accompanied  ^Ir.  Jones  from  Cha- 
teau to  Seal  Island,  in  his  way  to  this  place;  (in 
order  to  render  that  assistance  to  my  maid-serv- 
ant, Nanny,  which  she  will  soon  stand  in  need  of) 
but,  as  it  was  not  convenient  to  him,  ^Ir.  Jones 
came  off  by  himself:  he  added,  that  he  had  crossed 
the  track  of  a  man  yesterday  upon  Niger  Sound, 
who  had  gone  down  towards  the  sea.  On  hearing 
this  account  I  was  much  alarm(Hl;  for,  as  ^fr. 
Jones  had  not  arrived  al  1lie  island,  I  concluded 
that  he  must  have  lost  his  way,  or  some  other  mis- 
fortune befallen  him. 

The  Indians  returned,  and  Ijrought  me  three 
round  harps. 

Tuesday,  January  29,  1771.  M  day-ln-cak  tliis 
morning,  I  sent  off  two  men  across  the  country  to 
Chateau,  to  enquire  if  ^,\v.  Jones  hnd  rv\  nrned  bnck 
again;  I  also  sent  anotlier  man  witli  (liiv  to  Niger 
Sound,  to  follow  the  track  which  1h"  liad  observed 


64  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

there.  In  the  evening,  two  of  the  sealers  arrived 
with  a  letter  from  Guy,  informing  me,  that  on  Pmit 
Pond  he  had  met  with  the  footsteps  of  a  man 
(crossing  into  the  track  made  by  me  and  one  of 
Guy's  men,  on  Friday  last)  who  had  followed  us 
to  the  end  of  the  pond,  and  there  broken  a  few 
boughs,  upon  which  he  su^^posed  he  had  lain  dur- 
ing the  night,  and  gone  forward  again  on  Saturday 
morning.  He  pursued  the  track  to  the  mouth  of 
Niger  Sound,  and  upon  the  North  end  of  Round 
Island  he  found  the  unfortunate  Mr.  Jones  frozen 
to  death,  with  his  faithful  Newfoundland  bitch  by 
his  side!  He  gave  the  poor  creature  what  bread 
he  had  about  him,  but  could  not  prevail  on  her  to 
leave  her  master.  He  had  been  so  imprudent  as 
to  leave  Chateau,  not  only  by  himself,  but  also, 
without  either  a  hatchet,  provisions,  tinder,  or 
matches.  It  was  evening,  I  suppose,  when  he  met 
with  my  track,  and  he  certainly  did  not  know 
where  he  was;  for  had  he  taken  it  the  other  way, 
he  might  have  reached  my  house  in  about  an  hour's 
good  walking.  The  loss  of  this  young  man  is  the 
more  to  be  regretted,  as  he  was  of  a  very  amiable 
disposition,  and  likely  to  prove  an  ornament  to 
his  profession. 

Thursday,  January  31,  1771.  The  Chateau  men 
went  off  for  Seal  Island  early  this  morning ;  from 
which  place  my  man  returned  today,  accompanied 
by  those  w^hom  I  sent  from  Chateau;  also  another 
party  from  the  same  place,  joined  them  upon  the 
road.  These  people  brought  me  what  things  they 
found  in  Mr.  Jones's  pockets,  and  informed  me 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  65 

that  thev  had  cuvcred  the  corpse  with  snow  and 
boughs  of  trees;  but  could  not  prevail  on  the  bitch 
to  leave  her  deceased  master.  1  went  down  to  my 
traps,  where  1  met  with  the  fresh  slot  of  five  deer 
upon  the  river,  and  followed  them  over  South 
Head;  but  on  observing  that  one  of  the  Indians 
had  pursued  them,  I  turned  back. 

Thursday^  Fihnairi/  7,  1771.  \  emploj^ed  myself 
most  part  of  this  day  in  making  a  pair  of  scales 
and  weights;  that  I  may  have  the  advantage  of 
l)roportioning  my  medicines  with  more  accuracy. 

Saturday,  Fchruary  9,  1771.  The  saw^yers  en- 
gaged in  felling  and  bringing  home  firewood.  I 
had  the  fat  of  two  seals  melted,  and  it  produced 
fourteen  gallons  of  oil.  I  was  much  indisposed 
this  morning,  and  have  been  so  for  some  time  past. 
My  ])ulse  is  quick  and  low,  particularly  after 
meals;  I  am  subject  to  profuse  sweating,  and  con- 
sequent weakness.  I  attenq^ted  to  Ijleed  myself, 
but  was  so  very  awkward,  that,  after  making  six 
incisions,  T  could  not  get  more  than  four  ounces 
of  blood.  However,  I  was  much  Ijettei*  in  a  few 
hours. 

Tuesday,  Fchruary  12,  1771.  At  six  o'clock  tliis 
e\'ening,  my  maid  was  taken  in  lalx.iif:  and  for 
want  of  better  assistance,  T  was  ol)liged  to  officiate 
as  midwife  myself.  Slic  1i;id  a  scxcrc  time;  but 
at  half  after  eleven  I  delivered  hci-  of  a  stout  boy: 
and  she  did  me  the  hoiioi'  to  snw  Ili;i1.  .-iltliough 
she  had  been  under  tlic  li;iii(ls  of  llircc  iii;d<',  ;md 
two  fcmjilf  pi-jK't  i1  ioiK'i's.  before  slie  left  Knu'land, 
she  never  met  with  a  jx'i'son  who  peri'oT-med  his 


66  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

part  better.  Fortunately  for  her,  Brooke's  Prac- 
tice of  Physic,  which  was  found  in  Mr.  Jones's 
pocket,  gave  me  some  idea  of  an  art,  which  never 
till  then  did  I  expect  to  be  called  upon  to  practise. 
Having  taken  proper  care  of  the  mother,  I  Avas 
obliged  next  to  act  as  nurse,  and  take  the  child 
to  bed  with  me;  neither  of  which  offices  do  I  wish 
ever  to  resume. 

Sunday,  February  17,  1771.  I  finished  the  last 
of  my  venison  this  day;  and  it  had  kept  perfectly 
good.  From  the  three  deer,  the  few  large  fish 
which  were  caught  in  November  last;  and  the 
beavers,  foxes,  otters,  martens,  grouse,  and  other 
animals,  which  we  killed  in  the  course  of  the  win- 
ter; I  had  fresh  meat  for  dinner  almost  every  day, 
and  a  sufficient  variety.  The  otters  are  hard  and 
strong  eating,  but  the  martens  are  nearly  as  good 
as  rabbits;  and  the  foxes  are  not  despicable  food: 
yet  they  taste  best  when  boiled  and  served  yp  with 
caper  sauce. 

Monday,  February  18, 1771.  The  woodmen  were 
employed  in  new-casting,  and  ganging  fishing 
leads.  Haines  being  indisposed  to-da}^,  and  find- 
ing that  he  had  feverish  symptoms,  I  took  twelve 
ounces  of  blood  from  him  in  the  morning,  and  gave 
him  an  emetic  in  the  evening.  I  found  myself  bet- 
ter than  usual,  and  Nanny  is  so  well,  that  she  sat 
up  some  hours,  although  it  was  contrary  to  my 
professional  advice.  I  have  not  been  able  to  keep 
a  fire  in  the  dining-room  these  two  days,  on  ac- 
count of  the  smoke.    Snow  with  thaw. 

Tuesday,  February  26,  1771.     The  sawyers  at 


LAinr\lM)lv*    .lOTRNAL  67 

work,  (.'liai'k's  and  1  lames  walked  their  }>aths,  but 
got  uothiiig.  i  looked  at  my  traps  down  the  river, 
and  then  proeeeded  to  Lyon  Head,  where  I  visited 
my  Indian  '  friends  in  their  snowhouse;  with 
which  I  was  greatly  pleased.  This  curious  habita- 
tion was  hollowed  out  of  a  drift  bank  of  snow,  in 
form  of  an  oven;  the  length  is  about  twelve  feet, 
the  width  ten,  and  the  height  seven.  Across  the 
farther  end  was  raised  a  })Latl'orni  of  snow.  On 
this  were  laid  some  boards,  where  the  whole  fam- 
ily slept  upon  bedding,  composed  of  a  eonsider- 
abk'  number  of  deerskins;  which  are  both  soft 
and  warm.  There  was  a  curious  window  in  the 
roof,  fronting  the  ])ed;  wliich  was  nearly  tlu'ce  feet 
squ.are,  and  made  of  a  piece  of  trans]iarent  ice, 
sha\ed  to  a  proper  substance.  It  admitted  a  per- 
fectly good  light,  and  was  secured  in  its  place  l)y 
strewing  the  edges  witli  snc^w,  and  sprinkling  that 
snow  with  water.  On  each  side  was  a  small  ped- 
estal of  snow,  for  the  su])])ort  of  a  couple  of  lamps, 
which  gave  a  sufficient  light  ])v  night,  and  adde(l 
so  much  heat  to  that  occasioned  by  the  ])reath  of 
the  Indians,  as  to  make  the  house  entindy  w.niii:  I 
was  even  o])liged  to  o})en  my  waistcoat  for  a  while. 
This  heat  also  thawed  the  roof  and  sides  sufli- 
ciently  to  enable  the  cxtci-nal  frost,  and  natui-;d 
coldness  f»f  the  sno\v,  to  foi'iii  innumerable  small 
icicles.  Tliese  diffei'eiH  conci'd  ions  fi'om  the  I'c- 
tleclion  of  the  lani]»s  made  the  a])arlment  glitlei* 
with  the  a]>peai-anee  of  radiant  diamonds,  or  lumi- 

'  Enkimo.      It  rniiHt  Ik-  rfmrmhcrcd  Mint  CartuTifjIit   frofnicnttv    iisi>.s 
the  word  Iiidiun  for  E«kiuio. 


68  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

nous  crystalizations.  The  lamps  were  formed  of 
stone,  which  they  contrive  to  hollow  out  properly 
for  this  purpose;  and  the  wicks,  (for  each  had 
several  laid  in. a  row  on  the  edge  of  the  lamp) 
were  bits  of  a  particular  kind  of  moss,  well  dried. 
Having  first  poured  some  oil  into  the  lamp,  they 
then  spit  a  number  of  small  pieces  of  fat  upon  a 
stick,  and  place  them  horizontally,  at  such  a  dis- 
tance behind  the  wicks,  that  their  heat  melts  the 
fat,  equal  to  the  consumption  of  oil.  The  entrance 
was  two  feet  square,  and  the  upper  part  of  it  re- 
clined outwards,  making  a  considerable  angle,  and 
Avas  near  the  central  part  of  the  front  of  the  apart- 
ment. The  door  was  a  block  of  thick  ice,  which 
they  laid  upon  the  inside  of  that  aperture.  From 
the  door  was  a  descent  of  four  steps  into  a  porch, 
which  was  sixteen  feet  long,  four  feet  wide  at  the 
bottom  next  the  house,  but  narrowed  towards  the 
outer  end  till  it  was  but  just  sufficient  for  them 
to  enter  at,  where  it  was  quite  open.  It  was  built 
of  large,  oblong  blocks  of  snow  laid  one  upon  an- 
other, and  meeting  at  the  top,  which  was  ten  feet 
high.  By  the  entrance  of  the  house  projecting  for- 
ward into  the  porch,  and  the  steps  before  it,  any 
person  might  walk  in  without  stooping. 

Adjoining  to  the  entrance  of  the  porch  was  a 
detached  kitchen,  formed  with  blocks  of  snow, 
and  shaped  like  a  glass-house;  but  not  more 
than  ten  feet  high,  and  five  in  diameter.  A 
stick  was  laid  across  it  to  hang  the  pot  upon, 
which  was  boiled  by  the  blaze  of  a  few  small 
sticks. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  69 

After  speucliiig  an  agrceabk'  hour  with  the  In- 
dians, I  returned  to  the  tilt  on  Eyre  Island;  but 
was  disappointed  hi  finding  nobody  there:  all  the 
firewood  was  nearly  burnt  u[);  and  I  was  too  lazy 
to  cut  any  more  myself.  The  weather  being  ex- 
ceedingly cold,  and  neither  of  the  men  I'eturning, 
I  passed  an  uncomfortable,  solitary  night.  The 
wind  forced  so  much  drift  in  between  the  boards, 
that  my  bed,  and  the  whole  floor  of  the  tilt,  were 
soon  covered  a  foot  deep  with  snow. 

A  A^ery  fine  day,  but  an  extremeh^  bad  night. 

Wedyies.,  February  27^  1771.  At  one  o'clock 
this  afternoon,  Ned  and  Milmouth  returned  from 
Seal  Island,  where  they  lay  last  night.  They  in- 
formed me,  that  the  ice  w^as  driven  off  shore,  to 
the  distance  of  some  miles;  and  that  a  boat  ar- 
rived last  night  from  Chateau,  with  some  people 
belonging  to  Messrs.  Noble  and  Pinson  of  Dart- 
mouth, who  carry  on  their  business  in  Temple 
Bay.  In  the  evening  one  of  my  people  came  from 
the  Lodge,  and  brought  me  a  letter  from  Mr.  Ged, 
who  relieved  Lieutenant  Davyes  in  the  command 
of  York  Fort. 

Hard  frost  with  low  drift. 

Thursday,  March  7,  1771.  Nanny  was  so  bad 
to-day,  that  I  was  greatly  alanued.  Her  face  w^as 
intensely  red,  her  eyes  had  a  fiery  brightness,  and 
she  had  such  a  quick  sueeessiou  of  fainting-fits, 
that  each  was  of  longei*  duration  1lian  the  intei'val 
which  preceded.  Being  destitule  of  every  medi- 
cine which  Dr.  I>i-ook('s  prcsci-iix's  in  such  cases, 
I  was  entirely  at  a  loss  wlial  1o  give  Iicr;    but  as 


70  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

I  judged,  that  Indian  tea  ^  was  of  the  same  nature 
with  the  herbs  which  are  recommended  by  that 
author,  I  had  some  gathered  from  under  the  snow 
in  the  woods,  and  gave  her  a  pint  of  the  strong 
infusion  of  that  ]Dlant  sweetened  with  sugar;  re- 
peating the  same  three  hours  after.  In  a  short 
time,  I  had  the  pleasure  to  find  her  complaints 
removed,  and  the  unfavorable  symptoms  disap- 
pear. I  visited  my  traps,  and  shifted  them  both. 
Charles,  Haines,  and  Milmouth,  went  to  Island 
Lake,  and  brought  home  three  spruce-game,  and 
the  old  beaver,  whose  foot  they  took  off  the  25th 
of  last  month.  At  night  the  Indians  brought  two 
seals  and  a  pair  of  ducks. 

Sunday,  March  10,  1771.  The  Indians  went  to 
the  tilt,  and  returned  in  the  evening  accompanied 
by  Ned,  with  a  good  silver-fox,  and  most  of  the 
things  which  were  there.  I  read  prayers  to  my 
family,  and  churched  Nanny,  who  is  now,  thank 
God,  perfectly  recovered;  an  event  which  I  have 
reason  to  believe,  was  effected  by  the  Indian  tea. 

Monday,  March  11,  1771.  I  set  off  at  seven 
o'clock  this  morning,  attended  by  Ned,  Attuiock, 
and  Tooklavinia,  for  Chateau.  We  went  down 
Charles  River  to  the  mouth  of  Punt  Brook,  and 
crossed  the  Isthmus  to  Niger  Sound;  which  we 
continued  till  we  were  opposite  to  Niger  Island. 
We  landed  on  the  South  side,  and  advanced  across 


*  I  believe  that  our  author  refers  to  Labrador  tea,  Ledum  grcenlanM- 
cum  and  L.  palustre.  This  being  evergreen  could  be  gathered  from  under 
the  snow,  and  its  medicinal  value  for  various  affections  was  formerly 
highly  esteemed. 


m 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  71 

the  c(»uiury  to  the  head  of  St.  Peter's  Bay,  and 
afterwards  to  A^ork  Fort;  where  we  arrived  at 
live  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  distance  I 
judge  to  be  near  thirty  miles,  for  the  snow  was 
uncommonly  tirni,  and  we  walked  with  a  very 
quick  pace.  On  St.  Peter's  Bay  we  met  with  an 
otter,  but  he  got  through  a  hole  in  the  ice;  we 
also  observed  the  tracks  of  some  wolves  there. 
The  sky  was  perfectly  clear  all  day,  and  as  there 
was  only  a  gentle  wind,  we  suffered  from  heat  and 
thirst.  Inmiediately  on  my  arrival  at  home,  I 
felt  much  pain  in  my  eyes;'  (with  a  sensation  like 
that  of  having  dust  in  them)  which  continued  all 
night.  It  was  caused  by  the  reflection  of  the  sun 
upon  the  surface  of  the  snow,  that  had  been 
thawed  and  frozen  again. 

Three  large  stags  were  seen  upon  Temple  Ba}^ 
this  morning,  coming  from  the  Westward;  but 
the  barking  of  the  dogs  at  the  fort,  turned  them 
back. 

Tuesday^  March  12,  1771.  The  pain  in  my  eyes 
nnich  increased,  and  I  felt  very  stiff  from  yester- 
day's walk. 

Fine  weather. 

^Yc(^uc!^.,  March  13,  1771.  At  four  o'clock  this 
iiini-iiiiig  r  awoke  with  extreme  pain  in  my  eyes, 
and  was  entirely  unal)le  to  open  them;  which  is 
a  com])lnint  that  is  called  in  this  part  of  the  woi'ld, 
snoir-hh')i(L  Upon  forcing  my  eyes  open  with  my 
fingers,  the  sensation  was  exquisite,  attended 
will)  a  jtlciiiiful  disdiargc  of  sliaj'))  water;  whicli 
brought  on  a  (|uirk  succession  of  severe  spasms. 


72  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

The  effects  were  exactly  the  same  as  would  be 
produced  by  a  person  having  his  eyes  filled  with 
the  most  pungent  snuff.  As  soon  as  I  got  up,  I 
held  them  over  the  steam  of  hot  water,  and  by 
repeatedly  doing  the  same  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  and  keeping  them  well  defended  from  the 
light  with  handkerchiefs  bound  over  them,  the 
pain  was  greatly  diminished  at  night,  when  I  ap- 
plied a  poultice  of  boiled  bread  and  oil. 

Friday,  March  15, 1771.  My  eyes  were  so  much 
better,  that  I  could  keep  them' open  all  day,  and 
even  bear  to  go  to  the  door  for  a  few  minutes  at 
a  time.  A  white-bear  was  seen  in  Temple  Tickle. 
The  deer-hunters  returned  this  evening,  and  had 
seen  near  forty  head;  but  could  not  get  within 
shot  of  them.  All  the  ground  which  lies  along  the 
shore  of  the  straits  of  Belle  Isle  is  generally  much 
frequented  by  deer  during  the  Winter,  but  partic- 
ularly so  at  this  time  of  the  year;  and  they  qon- 
tinue  there  till  the  end  of  April,  or  later. 

Thursday,  March  21,  1771.  Rising  at  day-light 
this  morning,  I  prepared  for  my  departure,  but 
a  white-bear  being  discovered  upon  the  ice,  com- 
ing towards  the  fort  from  Henly  Island,  we  all 
ran  out  to  attack  him.  The  people  made  so  much 
noise,  that  he  turned  back,  took  the  water,  and 
swam  across  to  Wliale  Gut,  where  he  landed  and 
went  into  the  country.  A  party  of  the  marines 
pursued,  but  could  not  overtake  him.  These  ani- 
mals travel  at  a  much  greater  rate  than  is  gen- 
erally supposed;  for  they  take  very  long  steps. 

Friday,  March  22,  1771.    At  eight  o'clock  this 


LABRADOR   JOURN.U.  73 

morning,  leaving  Ned  behind  nie,  who  is  yet  too 
weak  to  travel,  and  borrowing  a  marine  of  Mr. 
Ged,  I  set  oft*  on  my  return  liome.  AVe  kept  along 
the  low^  land  till  we  came  near  St.  Peter's  Bay, 
then  turned  up  the  hills  and  ascended  St.  Peter's 
Head;  which  is  bald  on  the  top,  and  the  highest 
mountain  in  this  neighborhood.  We  had  a  com- 
manding view  of  the  country,  and  I  could  plainly 
discern  Prospect  Hill.  We  descended  on  the 
North  side  of  the  head,  w^here  w^e  found  thick 
woods,  in  which  the  snow^  w^as  very  deep  and  light. 
Here  we  met  with  the  recent  marks  of  porcupines; 
and  I  killed  a  spruce-game  with  my  rifle:  but  my 
eye  not  being  clear  enough  to  attempt  beheading 
the  bird,  as  I  usually  do,  I  fired  at  the  body,  and 
the  ball  knocked  him  entirely  to  pieces.  After- 
wards we  made  a  straight  course  to  Ranger  Lodge, 
but  did  not  arrive  there  till  seven  o'clock  in  the 
evening.  At  the  head  of  Fox  Pond  we  crossed  the 
fresh  track  of  a  wdiite-bear,  but  I  had  not  the  least 
inclination  to  follow  him.  Since  my  departure, 
Charles  had  brought  in  two  martens;  the  furriers 
one,  and  a  wolvering;  ^  one  trap  was  lost,  and  they 
found  a  foxhound  dead  in  an<>ther,  in  which  he 
had  tlu'  misfortune  to  be  caught. 

A  delightful  mild  day. 

Snndaf),  A}>n'J  7,  1771.  Eai'ly  in  the  morning 
I  put  my  provisions,  bedding,  and  othei-  baggage 
on  the  Indian  sled;  my  gun  and  I'ackcis  upon  my 
own,  drawn  l)y  three  dogs,  and  set  off  \\\\\\  ilnincs 
for  the  lib;    wliich  \\\\\\  nnicli  dirCicully  we  found. 

•  Wolverine,  alwo  cullud  Gluttou  or  ludiun  devil,  ilulo  luscua. 


74  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

Monday,  April  8,  1771.  At  ten  o'clock  Mil- 
mouth  came  from  the  Lodge  to  remain  with  me. 
Soon  afterwards  two  of  the  sealers  called  to  in- 
form me  that  they  had  killed  a  wolf  at  the  East 
end  of  this  island,  which  had  got  into  one  of  their 
traps  upon  White-Fox  Island  this  morning.  He 
travelled  at  such  a  rate  with  the  trap  upon  one 
of  his  fore  feet,  that  they  had  much  difficulty  to 
overtake  him,  though  assisted  by  a  couple  of  stout 
Newfoundland  dogs;  for  the  wolf  so  intimidated 
the  dogs,  by  frequently  snapping  at  them  as  he 
ran,  that  they  were  afraid  to  attack  him.  I  went 
with  them  to  take  a  view  of  the  beast,  and  a  large 
old  dog  he  was,  but  very  poor;  for  he  had  been 
impelled  by  hunger  to  haunt  about  the  sealers' 
house  for  some  time  past,  to  eat  the  seals'  bones 
which  had  been  left  half  picked  by  their  dogs. 
Milmouth  and  I  were  employed  all  the  rest  of  the 
day  in  cutting  boughs  to  sewel  the  harbour,  in 
order  to  cause  the  deer  to  come  close  to  a  point 
of  Ej^re  Island,  where  I  intend  to  watch  for  them. 

It  snowed  hard  all  last  night,  and  drifted  the 
whole  of  this  day. 

Tuesday,  April  9,  1771.  A  man  came  from  Seal 
Island  and  brought  me  a  forequarter  of  the  wolf, 
a  piece  of  which  was  roasted  for  dinner,  but  it 
proved  so  hard,  dr}^  tough,  and  rank,  that  I  could 
swallow  but  one  mouthful.  As  I  was,  however, 
determined  to  get  the  better  of  my  squeamish 
stomach,  I  set  the  remainder  by  for  supper,  but 
my  success  was  not  then  much  greater.  At  one 
o'clock  I  Joined  Haines,  and  we  made  a  shooting- 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  75 

staiul  of  suow  at  the  iSoutli  West  point  of  this 
island.  ^ 

Siiudai/,  April  14, 1771.  A  man  came  here  from 
Seal  Island,  who  informed  me  that  another  wolf 
had  carried  off  one  of  their  traps  last  week;  and, 
that  in  his  way  to  this  place,  he  had  killed. an  otter 
upon  the  ice.  The  Indians  having  caught  six 
seals,  they  brought  them  to  the  Lodge  this  eve- 
ning, as  a  fresh  supjDly  of  provisions  for  the  dogs. 
Whether  my  appetite  or  the  taste  of  the  wolf  be 
better,  I  cannot  tell;  but  I  can  now  make  a  tol- 
eral)le  good  meal  of  him. 

Monday,  April  15,  1771.  Tlie  evening  being 
clear,  I  walked  to  the  top  of  the  highest  hill  u^Don 
this  island,  and  had  an  extensive  view  out  to  sea; 
but  could  not  discern  a  drojD  of  fresh  w^ater.  I 
finished  my  quarter  of  wolf  to-day,  and  I  believe, 
that  my  stomach  will  not  refiise  such  food  again, 
during  my  residence  in  this  country. 

Sunday,  April  21,  1771.  Attuiock  and  his  fa- 
vourite wife  came  here,  and  brought  Haines  home. 
Upon  an  examination  of  my  provisions,  I  found 
no  more  left  than  will  be  sufficient  for  five  weeks. 
Various  complaints  were  made  to  me  against  the 
sawyers;  and,  upon  a  full  investigation  of  the 
circumstances,  I  found  them  all  to  be  ras<'als. 

Monday,  April  22,  1771.  After  ])reakfast  the 
Indians  set  me  down  at  the  tilt,  and  then  returned 
li(»ine.  In  the  afternoon  I  walked  to  the  to])  of 
the  highest  hill,  and  could  pci-ccive  all  the  land 
around  still  ('ovci'cd  willi  snow,  and  nothing  l)ut 
fii-ni  ice  1o  ])e  discerned  oul   a1   sea,  as  far  as  the 


76  CAPTAIN   CAETWRIGHT'S 

eye  could  reach:  which,  I  svippose,  cannot  be  less 
than  fifty  leagues  from  the  land. 

Saturdai),  April  27,  1771.  The  ice  being  driven 
to  a  distance  from  the  shore,  some  of  the  people 
went  with  me  this  morning  to  the  outer  point  of 
Indian  Island,  in  expectation  of  shooting  some 
ducks;  but,  although  many  thousands  flew  to  the 
Northward,  they  all  kept  too  far  off. 

Sunday,  Maij  5,  1771.  Etuiock  came  here  early 
this  morning  with  their  sled;  and  taking  Charles, 
Bettres  (the  boy)  and  Williams  with  me,  we  went 
to  Seal  Island.  At  noon  we  set  out  for  Chateau 
in  a  skiff,  taking  also  a  couple  of  the  sealers.  We 
had  clear  water  till  we  passed  Camp  Islands;  but 
on  observing  a  jamb  of  ice  which  extended  from 
Table  Point  towards  Belle  Isle,  we  endeavored 
to  go  on  the  outside  of  it.  In  this  attempt  we  got 
so  far  out  to  sea,  (and  such  abundance  of  ice  at 
the  same  time  came  after  us  from  the  North  East) 
that  it  was  with  great  difficulty  we  regained  the 
shore  at  Birchy  Cascade:  we  hauled  our  skiff  up 
and  spent  the  night  by  a  good  fire  in  the  woods. 

Monday,  May  6,  1771.  Early  in  the  morning  w^e 
launched  the  boat,  and  rowed  along  shore  to  Foul- 
weather  Droke,  but  could  get  no  farther;  the  ice 
being  firmly  jammed  quite  across,  from  Table 
Point  to  Belle  Isle.  There  we  hauled  up  the  boat 
and  I  walked  upon  the  point  where  I  met  with 
eight  deer,  and  shot  one  of  them  through  the 
haunches,  at  a  considerable  distance,  but  did  not 
kill  him;  I  then  pursued  him  a  long  way  without 
success.     The  rest  of  the  people  went  round  the 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  77 

shore  to  the  Head  of  St.  Peter's  Bay,  but  killed 
nothing.  We  suffered  greatly  all  night  from  cold, 
for  the  AA'oods  were  thin,  cliiefly  old  birch,^  the 
snow  was  very  deep,  and  we  could  scarce  keep  our 
fire  alight,  the  fuel  being  full  of  sap. 

Tuesday,  May  7,  1771.  At  day-light  this  morn- 
ing, finding  the  ice  was  driven  back  to  the  North- 
ward, I  ordered  the  boat  round  the  Point,  and 
Avalked  across  to  Conden  Tickle;  where  I  found 
fourteen  deer  feeding  upon  wild  rye  ^  which  ap- 
peared through  the  snow.  Unfortunately  they 
got  sight  of  me  at  the  same  time,  and  went  off, 
when  I  fired  at  above  two  liTuidred  yards  distance, 
without  effect.  The  boat  meeting  me  there,  we 
made  the  best  of  our  way  to  Chateau,  and  arrived 
in  Henley  Tickle  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  where 
I  shot  four  ducks  and  then  went  to  York  Fort, 

Friday,  May  10,  1771.  Early  in  the  morning, 
leaving  Charles  to  follow  with  the  sealers,  and 
taking  Bettres  with  me,  I  went  to  the  Table  Land 
in  a  boat  belonging  to  the  garrison,  and  sent  it 
back  immediately  on  my  arrival.  Li  my  way 
hither  I  measured  the  flight  of  the  eider  ducks  by 
the  following  method:  viz.  on  arriving  off  Duck 
Island,  six  miles  distant  from  llcuh-y  Tickle,  I 
caused  the  people  to  lie  on  their  oars;  and  when 
I  saw  the  flash  of  the  guns,  whirh  wore  fli'cd  at  a 
flock  of  du^'ks  as  tlicy  ])assed  tlirough,  I  o])served 
by  my  watch  how  Ioiil;  they  were  in  flying  abreast 

'  Pappr  or  Canoo  birch,  Bditln  Alhn.     Tho  dwarf  hircli,  B.  qlandulosa 
Var.  rol  mull  folia,  is  uIho  coiiimoii  in  Labrador. 
^  ElymuH  arcTUiriuH. 


78  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

of  us.  The  result  of  above  a  dozen  observations, 
ascertained  the  rate  to  be  ninety  miles  an  hour. 
After  making  a  tilt  with  some  seal  skins  which 
I  borrowed  at  Chateau,  I  took  a  walk  across  the 
point,  and  got  shots  at  a  good  fox  and  a  black 
duck,  with  my  ritle;  also  saw  a  deer,  but  night 
came  on  before  I  could  get  up  to  it.  It  was  nine 
o'clock  Avhen  I  returned  to  the  tilt  very  hungry; 
having  eaten  nothing  since  six  in  the  morning: 
but,  instead  of  dinner  being  ready,  the  boy  had 
not  been  able  to  light  a  fire;  therefore  I  was 
obliged  to  do  that  business  myself;  I  soon  effected 
it,  and  broiled  some  ducks  for  our  suppers.  In  my 
way  hither  I  killed  one  duck  out  of  the  boat,  and 
brought  some  others  along  with  me. 

Sunday,  May  12,  1771.  Early  in  the  morning 
Etuiock  and  the  Indians  came  to  the  tilt,  and  con- 
ducted me  and  my  baggage  home  on  their  sled. 
We  found  the  bay  broken  up  in  the  middle,  as 
high  as  the  South  head  of  White-Bear  Sound, 
where  we  inadvertently  got  upon  loose  pans  of  ice, 
and  were  in  danger  of  being  driven  out  to  sea;  but 
by  the  activity  of  the  dogs,  we  escaped  the  danger. 
From  Seal  Island  to  Otter  Island  the  ice  was  very 
rotten,  and  knee  deep  in  water.  On  my  arrival 
at  home  I  was  informed  that  one  of  my  people 
had  killed  a  deer  last  week. 

Monday,  May  13,  1771.  1  had  the  skiff  caulked 
and  payed;  the  boards  piled;  the  foundation  for 
the  salmon-house  cleared;  and  other  things  done. 
Charles  began  to  dig  the  garden,  Ned  took  up 
some  seweling,  and  Avas  at  work  down  the  river 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  79 

all  day.  In  the  evening  the  ri\ei'  broke  up  as  far 
as  Rabbit  Island;  having  been  entirely  frozen 
twenty-seven  weeks  and  three  days. 

A  very  warm  da}'. 

Tuesday,  May  21,  1771.  The  first  green  leaf  ap- 
peared to-day,  which  was  a  currant.^ 

Mo)iday,  May  27,  1771,  I  killed  a  gull"  w^ith 
my  little  rifle,  and  caught  five  large  trouts  w^ith 
baits.  Milmouth  returned  at  night,  and  brought 
a  goose.    Charles  was  at  work  in  the  lower  garden. 

Wednes.,  May  29,  1771.  At  day-light  I  sent 
most  of  the  people  down  to  the  shallop,  and  went 
myself  with  two  hands  into  St.  Lewis's  Bay.  We 
tailed  one  trap  for  an  otter  in  Cutter  Harbour; 
then  Avent  into  Mary  Harbour,  where  we  tailed 
two  more.  At  the  head  of  this  place  we  found  a 
very  fine  salmon  river,  which  precipitates  over 
a  flat  rock,  extending  across  the  mouth  of  it,  and 
forms  a  most  beautiful  cascade.  Near  this  s^^ot 
was  a  mountaineer  w^higwham  of  last  year,  on 
which  we  spread  our  sails,  and  slept  in  it.  I  killed 
a  seal  and  a  spruce-game  with  my  rifle,  but  lost 
the  former. 

It  snowed  and  hailed  all  day  and  night. 

Friday,  May  31,  1771.  AVo  jii'oceeded  to  Eyre 
Island,  where  we  found  a  (luck  in  a  ti'ap:  Ix'ing 
caught  there  by  a  hai'd  sipiall  of  wind,  wo  were 

'  Ribes  triiite  or  R.  prostrnlum.  On  May  24,  1000,  at  Esquimaux  Point, 
I  found  the  currants  just  bcKinning  to  opon  their  loaf-buds. 

*  The  most  common  larRc  n'lll  on  the  Labrador  poaat  is  the  herring 
Rull,  [yfirun  arqcntaln.s.  The  prcat  hlack-barkcHl  pull,  L.  marinna  and  the 
glaucous  RuU  or  burKoniJustcr,  L.  hi/iiirhnmis,  are  also  conmion.  The 
kittiwakc,  Rinsa  trvldclyln,  is  an  abundant  small  gull. 


80  CAPTAIN    CABT WRIGHT'S 

obliged  to  run  through  Raft  Tickle  into  a  cove, 
where  we  hauled  up  our  boat;  killed  a  pair  of 
eider  ducks,  and  winged  a  black-duck,  but  lost  it. 
In  the  evening  the  squall  abating,  we  set  off,  and 
got  home  by  ten  at  night;  in  the  way  I  killed  a 
seal  with  goose  shot,  but  it  sunk.  Ned  and  Haines 
were  come  from  Chateau,  but  had  brought  only 
twelve  ducks.  They  had  begun  to  build  the 
salmon-house.  Attuiock  sent  me  a  present  of  his 
old  kyack.    Clear  weather. 

Saturday y  June  1,  1771.  I  turned  the  people 
out  at  four  o'clock,  and  finding  that  the  work  at  the 
salmonhouse  was  not  well  executed,  I  made  them 
pull  it  down  and  begin  afresh.  The  boatsmaster 
came  up  and  informed  me,  that  he  had  brought 
the  shallop  into  the  river.  Milmouth  and  Bettres 
went  to  Eyre  Island  with  traps;  where  they  killed 
a  duck  and  a  tinker,^  and  gathered  thirty-three 
eggs.  Two  of  the  Indians  came  up,  and  brought 
me  a  duck  and  a  few  eggs.  The  instant  I  got  home 
I  sat  down  to  write  letters  to  Fogo  and  England, 
and  continued  at  that  work  all  day. 

Sunday,  June  2,  1771.  I  continued  writing  all 
the  last  night,  and  until  noon  to-day;  when,  hav- 
ing finished,  the  shallop  immediately  sailed  for 
Fogo.  I  went  to  bed  at  half  after  two  in  the  after- 
noon, not  a  little  fatigued. 

Monday,  June  5,  1771.  At  four  o'clock  all 
hands  were  at  work  on  the  salmonhouse,  except 
two;  at  the  same  time  I  sent  down  the  river  for 
the  skiff  and  punt,  which  were  left  in  Furriers 

^  Still  called  "  tinker,"  the  razor-billed  auk,  Alca  torda. 


LABRADOR    JOURX^VL  81 

Cove:  they  returned  at  eight,  when  Mihnouth 
went  to  Niger  Sound,  shifted  the  trap,  and  killed 
a  shell-bird  and  a  bottle-nosed  diver/ 

TJuirsdaij,  June  6,  1771.  At  day-light  I  began 
to  prepare  for  a  cruise;  and  at  seven  o'clock, 
taking  Charles  and  Bettres  with  me,  I  sailed  for 
St.  Lewis's  Bay:  we  had  three  otters  in  the  traps, 
tailed  three  more,  shot  three  ducks,  and  gathered 
seventeen  eggs.  We  passed  the  night  in  Mary 
Harbour. 

Fridai/,  June  7,  1771.  At  noon  w^e  sailed  up  the 
bay,  got  to  the  head  of  it  at  night,  and  there  found 
a  large  river,  with  plenty  of  good  timl)er  on  the 
north  side  of  it.  We  landed  at  the  mouth  of  a 
small  brook,  w^here  there  w^ere  some  old  Nescau- 
pick  whigwhams,  and  erected  a  tilt  for  ourselves; 
but  had  not  a  very  pleasant  night,  as  it  snowed 
hard  the  whole  time.  I  named  the  river,  the  Col- 
lero(jn;  from  a  large  river  in  the  East  ladies  of 
the  same  appellation. 

Saturday,  June  8,  1771.  We  spent  the  morning 
in  taking  off  some  rinds  to  cover  our  tilt,  and  in 
skinning  the  otters.  In  the  afternoon  we  went 
aljout  two  miles  higher  up  the  river,  which  ap- 
peared very  likely  to  produce  plenty  of  salmon, 
but  difficult  and  expensive  to  fish;  being  broad, 
shoal,  and  rapid.  On  examination  of  the  tim])er 
we  found  a  great  numlx'r  of  white  spruce  trees, 
which  were  tall,  clear,  and  straight;   from  six,  to 

'  Surf  flroter  or  Hkunk-hoad  root,  Ouhmin  jMrspinlJata.  The  white- 
wingod  Hcotor,  O.  rltt/ldn/li  was  and  Is  still  kuown  on  the  Labrador  coast 
iLH   the   "  bniss-winK  diver." 


82  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

nine  feet  in  circumference.  We  killed  a  spruce- 
game,  and  returned  to  the  tilt  in  the  evening. 

Sunday,  June  9, 1771.  At  ten  o'clock  this  morn- 
ing we  set  out  homewards.  About  two  miles 
lower,  we  met  with  a  small  river  on  the*  South 
West  side  of  the  bay.  I  named  it  the  Alexander; 
abundance  of  that  plant  ^  growing  on  its  banks. 

A  warm  day,  but  froze  sharp  in  the  night. 

Monday,  June  10, 1771.  We  made  sail  down  the 
bay  at  five  this  morning.  On  the  South  shore 
were  several  groves  of  good  birch,  fit  for  hoop- 
poles;  plenty  of  trees  proper  for  rinding;  and 
many  spots  of  good  grass  fit  for  hay.  I  killed  a 
goose  and  wounded  two  more.  We  visited  the 
traps  in  Mary  Harbour,  and  had  an  otter.  We 
then  went  to  Hutton  Island,  where  I  killed  five 
ducks  and  a  shell-bird;  we  also  gathered  twenty- 
nine  eggs,  and  fomid  a  goose-nest  with  seven. 
At  half  past  seven  we  left  that  place,  and,  with 
the  help  of  our  sails  and  oars,  reached  home  at 
midnight,  very  well  pleased  with  the  discoveries 
which  had  been  made:  for,  beside  the  above-men- 
tioned advantages,  there  are  many  good  rubbing 
places,  and  the  country  seems  likely  for  martens; 
but  not  so  for  beavers.  We  saw  but  few  signs  of 
deer  or  black-bears;    nor  were  there  many  ves- 


'  Cartwright  frequently  speaks  of  "  alexander "  by  which  he  un- 
doubtedly means  the  cow-parsnip,  Heracleum  lanatmn,  belonging  to  the 
carrot  family,  Umhellifereae.  This  plant  resembles  superficially  the 
English  Smyrnmm  olusatrum  or  alexander,  with  which  Cartwright  was 
doubtless  familiar.  This  was  used  as  a  pot  herb  in  England  just  as  H. 
lanatum  was  used  in  Labrador  by  the  Indians.  I  found  the  cow-parsnip 
very  common  at  Cape  Charles  and  in  the  Mary  Harbour  region. 


r 

1 

Icebergs  on  the   Labrador   Coast 


At   the   Mouth  of  Mary  Harbour 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  83 

tiges  of  Lidiaus,  and  those  we  found  were  old. 
The  length  of  the  bay,  from  Lion  Head  to  the  river 
mouth,  is  about  seven  leagues.  I  was  writing 
letters  all  the  remainder  of  the  night. 

TImrsdaij,  June  20,  1771.  I  was  making  flies 
and  a  fishing-line  till  dinner;  after  which  I  went 
in  the  punt  up  the  stream,  and  killed  one  slink  and 
a  brace  of  trout.  Charles  took  up  the  sewels  in 
Sewel  Cove.  The  skiff  came  up  at  night  with  two 
of  Guy's  crew,  Avho  brought  me  a  confused  ac- 
count of  a  rupture  with  Spain,  which  they  had 
heard  of  from  some  people  of  Chateau,  that  had 
arrived  at  Seal  Island  this  day:  that  a  vessel  be- 
longing to  Noble  and  Pinson  had  arrived  at  Cha- 
teau; that  the  codfish  were  on  the  coast,  and  that 
they  had  caught  a  quintal  ^  this  morning  with  a 
few  trouts,  which  I  sent  them  yesterday. 

Bright  sun,  and  very  hot  weather. 

Friday,  June  21,  1771.  My  maid,  through  care- 
lessness in  heating  the  oven,  set  the  hill  on  fire, 
but  by  timely  assistance,  it  was  extinguished; 
otherwise,  the  buildings;  and  the  whole  country 
round,  would  soon  have  been  in  flames.  Had 
twentj'-seven  slinks  in  the  net. 

A  very  hot  day,  and  the  moschettos  bit  for  the 
first  time  this  year. 

Wednes.,  June  26,  1771.  In  the  afternoon  John 
Tilsed  came,  and  brought  intelligence  of  his  re- 
turn with  the  shallo])  from  Fogo;  from  whence 
he  liad  lu'ought  bar-k  aiiothci"  fishennan  and  a 
coopei-.     Slic   was   laden   with   empty  hogsheads, 

'A  weight  of  112  pounda. 


84  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

(for  the  seals'  oil,)  and  a  fresh  supply  of  provi- 
sions. He  delivered  to  me  some  letters  from  Eng- 
land and  Fogo.  From  the  former  place  I  received 
the  very  afflicting  information  of  the  death  of  my 
good  friend  Lord  Granby;  and  from  the  latter  I 
was  informed  of  the  loss  of  my  partner  lieutenant 
Lucas,  who  was  supposed  to  have  foundered  at 
sea,  in  our  schooner  Enterprise,  on  his  passage 
from  Fogo  to  Oporto;  for  which  place  he  sailed 
the  latter  end  of  October  last,  with  a  cargo  of  dry 
fish  on  freight.  They  also  advised  me,  that  our 
schooner  Nimrod  was  to  be  consigned  to  me  with 
a  cargo  of  supplies  from  England ;  and  that  a  shal- 
lop, intended  as  a  present  to  Attuiock,  was  to  be 
immediately  sent  to  me  from  Fogo.  Tilsed  and 
his  crew  returned  to  Stage  Cove  at  night  to  assist 
in  carrying  on  the  work  there. 

A  very  hot  day. 

Tuesday^  July  2,  1771.  At  five  o'clock  this 
morning,  taking  a  couple  of  men  with  me  in  the 
wherry,  I  went  to  Seal  Island;  where  Hezekiah 
Guy  and  company  delivered  to  me  two  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  five  gallons  of  seals'  oil;  thirty- 
two  fox,  and  four  otter  skins;  one  wolf  and  one 
deer  skin,  with  two  bags  of  feathers;  being  part 
of  their  winter's  *  voyage.  I  then  made  a  visit 
to  the  Indians  who  are  encamped  on  Cape  Island; 
and  my  old  friend  Attuiock  made  me  a  present  of 
a  beautiful  ranger  ^  skin. 

*A  term  used  in  this  country,  to  express  the  whole  of  what  any  set 
of  men  make,  catch,  or  procure,  in  the  course  of  a  winter,  or  summer. 
1  Harbour  seal,  Phoca  viiulina  cancolor. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  85 

I  was  greatly  }»k'as(.'d  with  thoir  iiietliod  of 
curing  codtisli  without  salt;  which,  in  that  state, 
they  call  pipshy.  The  lish  is  split  down  the  back, 
the  bone  taken  out,  and  the  thick  parts  scored 
down  to  the  skin,  an  inch  asunder;  two  of  them 
are  then  fastened  together  by  theii^  tails,  and  hung 
across  a  pole  to  dry  in  the  open  air.  This  method 
of  curing  fish  or  flesh,  we  call  jerking.  It  is  an 
excellent  way,  and  anything  which  is  so  cured, 
will  keep  perfectly  sweet  and  good,  for  a  great 
length  of  time,  provided  no  wet  or  damp  affect  it; 
but  it  requires  to  be  well  soaked  before  it  be 
dressed. 

Thnrsdau,  July  4,  1771.  Attuiock  and  Tookla- 
vinia  came  up  in  their  kyacks,  accompanied  by 
five  other  Esquimaux,  who  had  arrived  at  Cape 
Charles  this  morning  with  their  families.  They 
supped  with  me,  and  afterwards  smoked  a  few 
whiffs  of  tobacco  and  drank  a  little  callibogus; 
but  they  seemed  to  prefer  sugar  and  water. 

Friday^  July  5,  1771.  It  was  astonishing  to  see 
what  a  quantity  of  hot  cake  and  coffee  my  seven 
uncouth  friends  swallowed  for  breakfast  this 
morning.  After  their  repast,  I  went  with  them 
to  the  Cape  on  a  visit  to  their  wives,  and  was 
rowed  thither  in  the  w-herry  by  Charles  and  one 
of  the  Indians.  Tlie  other  six  attended  in  their 
kyacks,  and  threw  their  different  kinds  of  darts 
as  they  went  alonj?;  an  art  at  wiiich  they  are 
aiiin/iimly  dcxIciMus.  I  shot  a  seal  with  my 
Hanoverian  rifle  Itiil  lie  sunk. 

Arriving  at  Cape  Island,   close  adjoining  At- 


86  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

tuiock  's  tent,  I  found  several  others,  each  of  which 
was  inhabited  by  a  numerous  family  attended  by 
dogs.  There  seemed  to  be  no  distinction  between 
these  people  and  their  faithful  attendants;  for 
they  all  lived  together  in  common,  much  in  the 
same  way  as  I  have  already  described  in  the 
former  part  of  my  journal.  The  ground  within 
and  about  the  tents  was  covered  with  codfish, 
seals,  ducks  and  eggs:  of  which  the  Indians  or 
their  dogs  made  a  repast  at  pleasure,  without  cere- 
mony. They  had  lately  killed  an  old  white-bear, 
and  every  tent  was  supplied  with  a  sufficient 
quantity  boiled  in  a  pot;  out  of  which  each  in- 
dividual helped  himself  as  often  as  he  found  room 
to  cram  down  a  little  more:  and  no  sooner  was 
the  pot  empty,  than  it  was  immediately  replen- 
ished. From  Shuglawina  the  chief,  (whose  tent 
and  shallop  were  both  larger  and  better  than  those 
belonging  to  any  of  the  other)  I  received  a  present 
of  five  *  silver  fox-skins :  another  gave  me  a 
ranger-skin;  and  a  third  an  arrow.  There  were 
several  pretty  girls,  and  some  good-looking  youths 
among  them.  My  old  friend,  I  believe,  had  made 
a  very  favourable  report  of  my  behaviour  to  him 
during  the  Winter;  for  they  seemed  to  be  as 
pleased  to  see  me,  and  as  obedient  to  me  as  if  I 
had  been  their  king.  On  my  departure,  I  dis- 
tributed about  a  pound  of  small  beads  and  a  few 
needles  among  them,  with  which  they  were  well 
satisfied;  and  the  men  promised  to  conduct  their 
wives  to  my  house  on  the  morrow  to  return  the 

*  These  five  skins  were  sold  at  Bristol  for  ISl.  7s.  Qd. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  87 

visit,  and  at  the  same  time  to  bring  theii'  whale- 
bone and  skins  to  trade  with  me. 

In  my  way  home  I  called  at  Seal  Island,  where 
I  received  six  hundred  and  twenty-tive  seal-skins 
from  Guy  and  company.  I  then  proceeded  to  the 
stage,  where  I  gave  some  directions,  and  got  home 
by  ten  at  night,  accompanied  by  two  Indian  men 
in  their  kyacks.  ]\[ilniouth  had  shifted  the  net, 
and  put  it  out  again. 

The  weather  was  very  fine  to-day. 

Sunday,  July  7,  1771.  At  one  o'clock  this  after- 
noon, our  bait-skift'  full  of  Indians,  attended  by 
several  others  in  their  kyacks,  came  here;  having 
left  their  shallop  in  the  river  below.  They 
brought  a  small  quantity  of  whalebone  and  a  few 
skins,  which  I  purchased  with  some  trifling  arti- 
cles. There  were  in  the  whole,  thirty-two  people, 
of  both  sexes  and  of  all  ages.  Nine  salmon  were 
boiled  for  them,  and,  although  the  fish  were  fifteen 
pounds  weight  each,  on  an  average,  they  ate  the 
whole  at  a  meal.  I  can  eat  pretty  well  myself; 
but  my  i:)erfoi'mances  in  that  way  are  not  worth 
recording  in  the  history  of  men  of  such  superior 
talents.  They  all  returned  in  the  evening  except 
Shuglawina,  his  daughter,  Attuiock  and  Ickon- 
goque. 

Thci-e  was  excellent  fishing  today,  and  had 
there  been  but  one  fleet  of  good  nets  in  the  water, 
we  r-oiild  have  killed  ten  tierces. 

TucsfJfiy,  JiiJi/  !i,  1771.  Early  ibis  morning  I 
went  to  Cape  riiarles,  and  thei'e  pitched  my  tent 
upon  the  coTitincnf,  directly  opjiDsife  the  Indian 


88  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

Camp;  having  a  tickle  between  us,  not  more  than 
eighty  yards  wide.  The  instant  that  I  was  ready 
to  open  shop,  I  sent  my  people  home,  with  in j  mic- 
tions not  to  come  near  me  until  I  sent  them  an 
order  in  writing  for  that  purpose;  or,  unless  they 
had  any  business  with  me,  which  could  not  be 
deferred  till  my  return.  My  tent  was  soon  filled 
with  Indians,  and  we  carried  on  a  very  brisk  trade 
till  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Shuglawina 
then  came  in,  spoke  a  few  words  in  a  rough  tone 
of  voice,  and  all  the  rest  instantly  walked  out. 
Taking  me  by  the  shoulder  and  speaking  stemty,. 
he  made  signs  for  me  to  go  along  with  him.  As 
these  people  have  hitherto  plundered  and  mur- 
dered Europeans  whenever  they  had  the  oppor- 
tunity, I  must  confess,  that  I  expected  that  was 
to  be  my  fate  now;  and  my  suspicions  were  con- 
firmed, upon  recollecting  the  apprehensions  which 
they  expressed  at  the  sight  of  my  fire-arms,  till  I 
convinced  them,  that  they  were  not  loaded.  How- 
ever, being  well  assured,  that  if  they  were  deter- 
mined to  kill  me,  I  could  not  prevent  them;  I  put 
the  best  face  possible  on  this  unpleasant  affair, 
locked  up  my  goods,  and  followed  him  out.  He 
led  me  to  the  top  of  an  eminence,  at  the  back  of 
my  tent,  and  we  were  followed  by  all  the  men  and 
boys.  On  observing  a  collection  of  brush  wood 
and  other  dry  fuel,  I  naturally  concluded,  that  I 
was  to  be  sacrificed;  but  whether  they  intended 
to  roast  me  alive  or  dead,  I  could  not  determine. 
I  did  not,  however,  long  remain  in  suspense,  for 
Shuglawina  soon  dispelled  my  fears  by  telling  me, 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  89 

that  we  had  doue  business  enough  for  one  day,  and 
therefore  he  had  brought  me  there  to  look  out  for 
vessels  at  sea  (that  station  connnanding  a  view 
quite  across  the  straits  of  Belle  Isle  as  far  as 
Quirpon  and  the  adjoining  parts  of  Newfound- 
land) adding,  that  the  wood  was  to  make  signals 
to  them.  On  discovering  a  whabby  swimming  in 
a  small  pond,  I  sent  for  my  rifle,  and  broke  both 
its  thighs  at  the  first  shot;  Shuglawina  then  fired 
and  killed  it.  It  was  really  surprising,  that  he 
should  kill  a  bird  with  a  single  ball,  the  first  shot 
whieli  he  ever  fired  in  his  life,  at  a  distance  of  a 
hundred  yards  at  the  least. 

They  all  returned  to  their  own  tents  at  sun-set, 
and  did  not  steal  a  single  article  from  me,  al- 
though several  of  my  goods  lay  exposed  to  them; 
which  I  firmly  believe  was  the  first  instance  of  the 
kind  ever  known. 

Wcdncs.,  July  10,  1771.  Not  an  Indian  of- 
fered to  cross  the  tickle  this  morning  until  they 
saw  me  up  at  five  o'clock.  Most  of  the  men  were 
gone  out  to  kill  seals  and  codfish,  and  those  who 
were  in  camp  then  came  to  my  tent,  but  as  I  had 
yesterday  purchased  the  greatest  part  of  their 
goods,  my  traffic  with  them  was  now  trifling. 

These  people  live  at  tlie  three  soutliei'umost  set- 
tlements, where  no  whales  are  killed;  they  do  not 
trouble  themselves  much  to  catch  furs,  not  being 
fuiTiished  with  traps;  nor  do  lliev  undei'stand  the 
use  of  deathfalls.  They  kill  plenty  of  seals,  fish, 
and  fowl  ill  llicir  own  iieigh])orhoo(l;  and  barter 
with  the  northern  ti-ibes  for  whalebone. 


90  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

Very  little  more  than  the  mere  necessaries  of 
life  (which,  a  little  reflection  will  convince  every- 
one, are  few  indeed)  will  satisfy  an  Indian;  for  he 
has  no  stimulus  to  industry.  When  he  has  killed 
food  he  has  generally  procured  clothing  also; 
therefore  he  will  work  no  longer.  As  seals  are 
infinitely  more  valuable  to  an  Esquimau,  and 
much  more  certain  to  be  kjlled  by  him,  than  foxes, 
martens,  or  any  other  animals,  on  the  skins  of 
which  luxury  has  fixed  a  better  price;  it  is  not 
surprising  that  he  will  stick  close  to  the  chase  of 
the  one,  to  the  great  neglect  of  the  other.  Besides, 
the  catching  of  furs  is  so  fatiguing  and  precarious, 
and  the  carcasses  so  small,  that,  were  he  to  give  up 
his  time  to  that  business,  his  family  must  perish 
with  hunger.  Yet  I  have  not  a  doubt,  but  com- 
merce will,  in  progress  of  time,  have  the  same 
effect  on  these  people,  that  it  ever  has  had  on 
other  nations :  it  will  introduce  luxury,  which  will 
increase  their  wants,  and  urge  them  to  much  more 
industry  than  they  at  present  possess.  They  will 
then  purchase  traps,  learn  to  build  deathfalls,  and 
contrive  other  devices  to  kill  furs,  at  such  times 
as  a  successful  seal-chase  shall  give  them  lei- 
sure to  pay  proper  attention  to  that  branch  of 
trade. 

In  the  afternoon  I  went  over  to  the  island  and 
visited  the  ladies.  I  found  them  variously  em- 
ployed, and  observed  that  great  attention  was 
paid  to  the  providing  of  belly-timber:  for  the 
kettle  was  either  boiled,  or  boiling,  in  every  tent. 
Some  were  busy  in  dressing  green  seal-skins,  and 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  91 

ulliers  ill  jerking  tisli;  some,  in  making-  bouts  and 
jackets,  whilst  others  were  sucking  the  fat  from 
eider-duck  skins,  intended  for  winter  garments, 
and  engaged  in  a  great  variety  of  other  employ- 
ment. The  most  perfect  good  humour  prevailed 
among  them,  and  they  took  great  pains  to  enter- 
tain me  with  singing  and  dancing.  Although  I 
did  not  admire  their  tunes,  yet  I  could  perceive 
that  many  of  them  had  very  soft  and  musical 
voices;  but  as  to  their  dancing,  one  would  have 
supposed  that  they  had  learned  that  art  from  the 
bears  of  the  country. 

As  mere  visiting  was  not  mj  sole  object,  Jew 
like,  I  took  with  me  a  box  of  beads  and  other 
trifles,  with  which  I  picked  up  several  skins  and  a 
little  whalebone.  Shuglawina  made  me  a  present 
of  a  very  fine  silver  fox-skin;  but  he  insisted  on 
having  the  same  price  for  the  brush  of  it,  as  I  had 
just  paid  for  an  entire  skin.  However,  as  he  only 
demanded  a  small  ivory  comb,  which  cost  me  no 
more  than  twopence  halfpenny,  and  the  skin  was 
worth  four  guineas,  I  made  no  scruple  in  comple- 
ting the  purchase. 

Saturday,  Juhj  13,  1771.  In  the  afternoon, 
Shuglawina  and  I  took  a  walk  on  the  Cape  land  in 
quest  of  deer,  but  saw  none.  I  detected  his  son  in 
attempting  to  sell  me  some  of  my  own  whalebone 
wliich  he  had  stolen  out  of  my  tent:  T  complained 
to  his  father,  but  for  want  of  Ix'ing  ])erfe('t  in  the 
language,  I  could  not  make  him  understand  me; 
or  ;ii  least  he  would  not:  ho\v<'\('i-,  lie  olTcred  me 
a  present,  by  way  of  settling  the  affair,  wliicb  T 


92  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

refused;  but  made  liim  sensible  that  I  was  satis- 
fied. 

Wednes.,  July  24,  1771.  At  five  this  morning, 
I  sent  the  salmoniers  with  the  net  up  the  river. 
We  caught  sixteen  fish  with  it,  in  the  pools 
above  the  pound;  the  latter  had  sixty-three  in  it, 
and  the  Indians  killed  twenty  with  their  darts. 

Saturday,  July  27,  1771.  I  purchased  a  few 
skins  from  the  Indians  to-day,  and,  in  the  evening, 
they  went  off  for  Camp  Islands.  One  of  the  In- 
dian men  behaving  rudely  to  my  maid,  I  seized 
him  by  the  collar,  and  launched  him  out  of  the 
door.  I  was  most  heartily  tired  of  their  company 
before  they  went,  they  were  so  very  rude  and 
troublesome:  and  although  they  eat  no  less  than 
fifteen  large  salmon  in  twenty-four  hours,  yet 
they  were  much  displeased  that  I  would  not  give 
them  another  meal.  I  did  not  count  the  number 
of  visitors,  but  I  do  not  believe  they  exceeded 
forty.  I  had  two  new  salmon-nets  put  out  to-day. 
We  had  but  few  fish  out  of  the  pound,  and  only  a 
score  out  of  the  nets;  most  of  which  had  been 
some  time  in  the  river.  I  fished  a  little  with  the 
fly  at  noon,  and  killed  a  few  trouts.  I  received 
several  letters  by  the  Indian  Prince,  among  which 
was  a  packet  from  Marnham. 

Friday,  August  2,  1771.  I  lent  Guy  my  chart  of 
the  coast,  and  ordered  both  boats  to  Port  Char- 
lotte to  try  for  fish  and  baits  about  Point  Spear 
and  Cape  St.  Francis.  Having  examined  the  In- 
dian traffic,  I  found  that  I  had  got  three  hundred 
weight  of  whalebone;    ninety-seven  ranger,  four 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  93 

cloater,  and  nineteen  fox  skins;  twenty-one  spare 
fox  brnshes;  twelve  deer,  fom*  otter,  and  two  mar- 
ten skins;  one  wolf,  one  wolvering,  and  one  black- 
bear  skin.  At  nigiit  the  skiff  eanie  up  with  a  let- 
ter. We  fomid  a  wolvering  to-day  in  one  of  the 
traps,  which  was  tailed  some  time  since  in  Wat- 
son Brook,  btit  he  was  tainted.  Few  salmon 
going. 

Suudiu/,  Ai((ji(.st  4,  1771.  At  eight  this  morn- 
ing, being  accompanied  by  Shnglawina,  we  got 
nnder  weigh  [in  the  Nimrod]  and  sailed  for  Fogo; 
but  immediately  got  agrotmd  on  the  bar  between 
White  Fox  and  Little  Island:  we  lay  there  an 
hour,  then  got  oft'  by  the  heli3  of  a  warp,  and  went 
to  sea.  There  being  but  little  wind  all  day,  we 
got  no  farther  than  the  back  of  Belle  Isle,  and 
were  beatmg  in  the  mouth  of  the  straits  all 
night. 

Moudajj,  August  5,  1771.  We  were  about  fotir 
leagues  from  Groais  Island  at  sun-set,  when  we 
saw  a  snow  ^  standing  in  for  Croque.  During  a 
calm  in  the  afternoon,  Shnglawina  went  oft"  in  his 
kyack  in  pursuit  of  a  penguin;  -  he  presently  came 
within  a  proper  distance  of  the  bii-d,  and  struck 
his  dart  into  it;  ])ut,  as  the  weapon  did  not  enter 
a  mortal   ])art,  the  penguin  swam  and  dived  so 

•  A  sailiriK  vessel,  whose  rig  Ls  now  obsolete.  The  snow  had  two  larpce 
masts,  and  a  third  small  mast  which  carried  a  trysail  just  abaft  of  (he 
mainmast. 

*  Great  auk  or  gare-fowl,  I'lnulus  imprnni/^,  evlinet  since  about  1S.')(). 
This  inlcrestinK  bird  was  railed  prjiyidn  by  the  earlier  voyapers,  a  name 
subseciufiitly  use<l  1o  (hvipnate  an  enlirely  dilTerent  proiip  of  birds  coiiniied 
to  the  southern  ocean,  but  resembling  tin-  great  uuk  in  being  flightless. 


94  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

well,  that  he  would  have  lost  both  the  bird  and 
the  dart,  had  he  not  driven  it  near  enough  the 
vessel  for  me  to  shoot  it. 

Thursday,  August  8,  1771.  We  anchored  in  the 
harbour  of  Fogo  at  ten  this  morning,  and,  in  the 
course  of  the  day,  landed  all  the  oil  and  other 
things. 

Sunday,  August  11, 1771.  Early  in  the  morning 
I  engaged  some  of  the  best  furriers  in  the  place 
(who  are  also  good  salmoniers)  to  enter  into  our 
service  for  the  ensuing  year.  At  seven  in  the 
evening  I  sailed  for  Charles  Harbour.  Mr.  Bell, 
the  surgeon  of  this  place,  accompanied  me  on  a 
visit;  and  John  Wrixon,  a  furrier,  came  also  to 
take  a  view  of  the  country,  in  order  to  make  a 
report  of  his  observations  to  his  comrades. 

Wednes.,  September  11,  1771.  According  to 
the  custom  of  this  part  of  the  world,  as  well  as 
some  others,  all  the  people  got  very  drunk  today; 
because  some  of  their  friends  were  taking  their 
leave  of  them,  and  going  away. 

Sunday,  September  15,  1771.  In  the  morning  I 
read  prayers  to  my  family;  in  the  afternoon  I 
went  to  the  lower  garden,  and  gathered  some 
green  peas  and  ripe  currants. 

Friday,  September  27,  1771.  After  breakfast  I 
took  two  hands  with  me  to  rummage  Atkinson 
Pond.  We  looked  at  the  slips  and  traps  at  Salt 
Point  and  on  Lyon  Neck,  and  found  an  otter  in 
that  at  the  mouth  of  the  pond,  but  it  was  tainted. 
We  tailed  two  other  traps  for  otters.  In  the  eve- 
ning a  vessel  appeared,  working  into  the  harbour; 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  95 

I  went  on  board,  and  found  her  to  be  his  Majesty's 
brig  Grenville,  commanded  b}-  Mr.  Michael  Lane, 
who  had  been  employed  all  the  smmner  in  survey- 
ing part  of  the  coast  northward  of  this  place.  I 
remained  all  night  on  board.  Killed  a  lady.^ 
Clear,  pleasant  weather. 

[With  the  onset  of  winter  trapping  operations 
went  on  more  actively.] 

Sunday,  Novenihcr  10,  1771.  In  the  night,  my 
Newfoundland  dog,  not  having  been  put  in  the 
kennel,  visited  some  of  the  traps,  and  brought  one 
of  them  home  on  his  foot. 

Tuesday,  Novemher  26,  1771.  Seals  were  plenti- 
ful in  the  coves,  but  few^  of  them  came  through  the 
tickle  to-day.  We  had  forty  in  the  nets,  and  I 
pelted  three. 

Wednes.,  Novemljer  27,  1771.  Having  caught 
a  severe  cold,  by  sleeping  in  *  puppy 's  parlour 
for  the  three  last  nights  [at  the  tilt],  I  determined 
to  return  home.  Accordingly  I  ordered  a  man  to 
make  the  necessary  preparations  for  that  pur- 
pose; likewise  to  put  eleven  seals'  carcases  into 
the  w^herr}^  for  my  do,G:s.  Every  thing  being  ready, 
we  sailed  at  nine  o'clock  this  morning.  Li  passing 
one  of  the  skiffs,  which  I  observed  was  loaded,  the 
people  informed  me  that  they  had  just  seen  a 
white-bear  in  IMahar's  Cove.  On  arriving  at  the 
stage,  T  perceived  that  he  had  been  there  also,  and 
overturned  a  blubber-cask.     After  stowing  away 

'The  gentle  reader  may  bo  roinindcil  that  Cartwripht  refers  to  the 
female  harlequin  dufk. 

*  To  sleep  in  j)iippv's  |)arl()ur,  KiRnifieH  8l('»i)iiin  in  one's  clothes,  upon 
the  floor,  before  tlu;  fire. 


96  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

the  herring-nets  and  some  other  things,  we  pro- 
ceeded up  the  river  to  Canoe  Point;  where  we 
landed  the  carcases,  moored  the  wlierry,  and 
walked  home;  for  the  river  was  frozen  over  in 
bridges,  from  that  place  to  the  NarroAvs,  but  the 
ice  was  firm  and  good  all  the  way  home  from 
thence;  having  been  frozen  over  ever  since  Mon- 
day last. 

Tuesday,  December  17,  1771.  The  shifting  of 
the  wind,  and  a  great  sea  along  shore,  occasioned 
by  yesterday's  gale,  cleared  the  whole  bay  [of 
ice].  The  boats  made  three  trips  each,  and 
brought  on  shore  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  seals, 
and  both  the  stoppers;  and  here  the  voyage  con- 
cludes. On  casting  up  the  account,  I  find  we  have 
killed  nine  hundred  and  seventy-two  seals;  which 
is  the  most  I  ever  heard  of,  in  proportion  to  the 
men  and  nets. 

Tuesday,  December  24,  1771.  I  removed  the 
traps  from  Dog  Point  to  Island  Brook,  where 
there  was  abundance  of  marten-trackings,  but 
not  many  of  foxes.  A  bear  had  lately  been  up 
there.  At  night  Christmas  Eve  was  celebrated  in 
the  usual  manner,  by  the  people  getting  very 
drunk.    Severe  frost. 

Wednes.,  December  25,  1771.  I  treated  all 
hands  with  buttered  hot  rolls  and  coffee  for  break- 
fast; after  which,  some  of  them  walked  up  the 
river,  where  they  saw  the  track  of  a  wolf.  I  read 
prayers,  and  afterwards  regaled  the  people  with 
veal  pie  and  rice  pudding  for  dinner.  In  the  eve- 
ning I  walked  to  Island  Brook. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  97 

The  sky  was  clear,  and  the  frost  not  so  severe 
as  yesterda\'.  [Charles,  from  nuieh  drinking  be- 
came ill,  and  was  treated  by  the  Captain  with 
bleeding,  James'  powders  and  so  forth,  from  time 
to  tune.] 

SiDidaij,  Janu€.ry  5,  1772.  All  the  people  got 
drunk  today,  and  the  cooper  behaving  in  a  very 
insolent  manner,  I  gave  him  a  few  strokes  with  a 
small  stick;  upon  which  he  had  the  impudence  to 
complain  of  being  so  bruised  as  not  to  be  able  to 
eat  his  dinner.  Charles  relapsed,  and  was  very 
ill  agaiQ. 

It  snowed  hard  all  last  night  and  till  noon,  when 
it  turned  to  rain  for  the  rest  of  the  day;  mild 
weather. 

Monday y  January  6,  1772.  I  Bled  one  of  the 
sealers,  and  two  of  my  dogs.  The  cooper  refused 
to  work,  pretending  he  could  not  use  his  right 
ann;  I  gave  him  nothing  but  water  gruel,  and 
made  a  deduction  from  his  w^ages  for  his  neglect. 
Charles  so  ill,  that  I  think  he  wall  scarce  live  till 
the  morning. 

Foggy,  with  silver  thaw. 

Friday,  January  10, 1772.  Charles  is  now^  likely 
to  recover;  he  w^as  up  most  of  the  day.  At  noon 
an  otter  came  up  the  watering  hole;  I  shot  at  liim 
out  of  the  window  with  a  rifle,  but  missed  him.  I 
made  a  net  for  the  fowl  house,  and  worked  on  the 
curlew  net. 

Saturday,  January  11,  1772.  T  met  the  two  St. 
Lewis 's-Bay-men  and  one  of  the  sealers,  com  in  p; 
from  Seal  Tsl.-md,   who   iiih.riiicd   iiic  llial    an  old 


98  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

bitch  white-bear  and  two  cubs,  came  upon  the 
island  this  morning,  and  they  had  killed  them  all; 
that  my  bloodhounds  behaved  very  well  upon  the 
occasion;  particularly  one  of  the  whelps,  which 
fastened  on  them  with  great  resolution. 

Monday,  January  13,  1772.  I  thought  Charles 
would  have  died  every  minute  of  this  day;  which 
kept  me  at  home.  I  read  prayers  to  him;  for  he 
retains  his  senses,  notwithstanding  he  is  so  bad 
that  he  can  take  nothing. 

Saturday,  January  25,  1772.  I  had  part  of  a 
loin  of  white  bear  roasted  for  dinner,  which 
proved  very  good;  although,  to  say  the  truth,  it 
was  much  like  beef  basted  with  seal  oil;  however, 
for  want  of  the  beef  without  the  oil,  I  ate  near 
two  pounds  of  it. 

Tuesday,  January  28,  1772.  This  being  another 
bad  day,  I  employed  myself  in  netting,  attending 
my  patient,  [Charles]  and  in  studying  physic  and 
surgery.  At  night,  the  evening,  or  some  other 
star,  shone  remarkably,  and  appeared  luminous 
and  large;  it  bore  South  at  ten  o'clock  and  seemed 
to  be  not  very  high. 

Tuesday,  February  4,  1772.  After  breakfast 
Mr.  Bullock  and  I  went  up  Island  Brook,  where 
we  saw  the  tracks  of  two  wolverings,  one  of  which 
had  been  caught  by  a  hook,  that  I  had  hung  from 
the  branch  of  a  tree,  with  a  bait  upon  it,  and  had 
broken  it;  he  afterwards  got  into  a  trap  which 
was  not  far  off,  and  carried  it  to  some  distance, 
where  the  creeper  caught  hold  of  a  bush,  and  he 
escaped  after  a  very  long  struggle.    Mr.  Bullock 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  99 

shot  a  squirrel  '  and  an  owl.  diaries  was  exceed- 
ingly bad  all  day,  but  rather  better  at  night.  The 
marine  being  not  well,  I  bled  him;  and  being  in- 
disposed myself,  I  took  an  emetic. 

Thursday,  Fehrunnj  6,  1772.  After  breakfast 
Mr.  Bullock  accompanied  me  up  the  river,  and  to 
Snug  Pond;  we  both  fired  at  a  spruce-game,  with- 
out doing  any  execution.  During  our  absence,  my 
faithful  old  servant  Charles  breathed  his  last.  I 
set  the  cooper  to  make  a  coffin  for  him. 

Clear,  pleasant  weather. 

Sunday,  February  9,  1772.  After  breakfast  I 
sent  the  corpse  down  to  Indian  Cove,  and  had  it 
buried  in  the  snow ;  where  I  intend  it  shall  re- 
main till  spring. 

Sunday,  February  23,  1772.  This  being  the  an- 
niversary of  my  birthday,  I  gave  the  people  a 
good  dinner,  and  regaled  them  with  rum. 

Wednes.,  February  26,  1772.  At  eight  o'clock 
Mr.  Bullock  and  his  two  men,  myself,  and  one  of 
my  servants,  began  our  journey  to  Chateau,  with 
our  baggage  and  provisions  on  our  sleds,  each 
drawn  by  one  dog. 

Thursday,  February  27,  1772.  At  two  o'clock 
this  morning  it  began  to  snow  very  hard,  with  a 
great  thaw,  and  so  continued  all  day,  which  pre- 
vented us  from  prosecuting  our  journey.  Being 
very  wet  and  cold,  and  not  able  to  make  the  fire 

'  Labrador  rod  Hquirrpl,  SciuriiJt  hufisoniata.  Thifl  is  tho  only  Bquirrel 
excppt  thf  I,:ihr:ulor  flyiriK  squirrol,  Srinrnplenis  sabririu^  tnaknnkrn/tis, 
found  in  L;ihr;i'lf)r.  Tho  pray  squirrol,  Sciurus  carolinenais  leucolis, 
reaches  as  far  north  an  Bouthem  Canadii  only. 


100  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

bum  well,  in  the  evening  we  began  to  dig  a  hole 
in  the  snow,  intending  to  lie  there;  just  as  it  was 
finished,  and  the  marine  still  at  work  in  it,  the  top 
feU  in  upon  him.  We  dug  him  out  with  all  expe- 
dition, but  his  back  was  much  hurt  by  being 
pressed  double.  We  then  cleared  out  the  hole, 
laid  trees  and  boughs  across  it,  and  covered  them 
with  snow;  Mr.  Bullock  and  I  then  crept  into  it, 
and  slept  there,  wrapped  in  my  boat-cloak,  and 
were  warmer  than  we  should  have  been  by  the 
fire.  But  as  we  were  very  wet,  and  our  lodging 
room  leaked  greatly,  I  must  confess  we  should 
have  been  more  comfortable  in  our  beds  at  home. 
We  tailed  two  traps  by  the  brook  side. 

[A  little  later  the  Captain  and  Mr.  Bullock,  and 
Fogarty  set  out  for  St.  Modest,  —  forty  miles 
away.] 

Tuesday y  March  17, 1772.  One  of  the  dogs  hav- 
ing given  us  the  slip  last  night  (which  was  no  bad 
proof  of  his  understanding)  at  day-light  I  sent 
Fogarty  back  for  him  to  Mr.  Hewet's  [at  Temple 
Bay].  At  10  o'clock  he  returned,  and  Mr.  Bullock 
came  with  him;  at  the  same  time  the  wind 
veered,  and  it  began  to  blow  and  snow  extremely 
hard;  we  therefore  retired  into  the  wood  and 
made  a  fire.  Mr.  Bullock  took  a  short  walk,  killed 
a  brace  of  grouse,  and  saw  a  wolf.  Of  all  the  bad 
nights  I  ever  spent  out  of  doors,  this  was  by  far 
the  worst;  fortunately  for  us,  the  timber  was 
good  and  very  plentiful,  or  we  must  have  perished. 
Fogarty,  who  is  a  good  hatchet-man,  was  cutting 
wood  all  night,  and  we  were  mending  the  fire ;  but 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  101 

although  we  kept  as  good  a  one  as  possible,  having 
never  less  than  a  cart  load  on  at  a  time,  the  snow- 
was  so  deep  that  we  did  not  see  the  ground  till 
three  in  the  morning,  and  the  wind  striking  down 
upon  the  tire,  almost  blinded  us  with  smoke;  at 
the  same  time  the  snow  fell  in  large  fleaks,  and  in 
such  abundance,  that  it  wetted  us  to  the  skin,  and 
also  prevented  the  fire  from  affording  us  nuich 
warmth. 

]Vc(hu'.s.,  March  18,  1772.  Glad  were  we  to 
see  the  day  appear,  and  immediately  determined 
on  returning  to^Ir.  He  wet's  house,  but  on  looking 
round  us  we  found  a  retreat  not  so  easy  a  matter; 
for,  having  dug  away  the  snow  with  our  rackets 
that  we  might  keep  ourselves  on  a  level  with  the 
fire,  we  perceived  ourselves  to  be  in  a  hole  full 
ten  feet  deep,  with  perpendicular  sides  of  hard 
snow.  Fortunately,  however,  a  friendly  tree  ex- 
tending its  branches  through  the  snow,  we  laid 
hold  of  them,  struck  our  toes  into  the  wall  and  got 
out.  Leaving  all  my  baggage  except  my  bread- 
bag,  we  returned  to  Mr.  Hewet's,  and  gave  up  all 
farther  thoughts  of  prosecuting  our  intended 
journe\'.  For  the  whole  country  between  Temple 
Bay  and  St.  Modest  is  high  and  barren,  and  no 
woods  to  be  met  with  but  in  f'oui'  ])laces,  which  are 
about  ten  miles  from  each  other;  consequently  a 
fresh  breeze  of  wind  causes  the  drift  to  fly  so 
thick  as  to  obstruct  the  sight.  I  found  Mr.  Hewet 
and  several  of  liis  peo])l('  di-unk,  ("yesterday  being 
St.  Patrick's  day)  in  honoui'  of  theii-  native  coun- 
try. 


102  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

Rain  and  snow  till  nine  this  morning,  fair  after- 
wards. 

Siinday,  March  29,  1772.  I  w^ent  upon  my  sled 
round  the  low  grounds,  [at  St.  Peter's  Bay]  and 
saw  the  tracks  of  two  large  white-bears;  but  was 
near  losing  my  life  by  a  frolic.  For,  laying  the 
hounds  on  the  track  of  one  of  the  bears,  I  encour- 
aged them  to  hunt  it,  w^hich  they  soon  did,  and  ran 
by  the  eye  and  cried  it  merrily.  Growdng  more 
eager  every  yard,  they  presently  ran  away  with 
me,  and  we  soon  came  upon  the  ice  in  Harbour 
Pleasure;  nor  could  I  stop  them  till  they  had  got 
near  to  the  mouth  of  the  harbour,  where  the  ice 
was  so  weak  (being  a  fresh  freezing  of  only  a  few 
days)  that  they  absolutely  broke  through  with  a 
foot  or  two,  and  it  bent  very  much  with  the  weight 
of  me  on  the  sled.  With  some  difficulty  I  turned 
them  about,  and  got  safe  back.  [On  April  7  he 
returned  to  Charles  River.] 

Friday,  April  10,  1772.  At  sun-rise  I  w^ent 
down  the  river,  and  found  all  the  slips  in  Slip  Cove 
down  and  covered  with  snow,  and  the  large  trap 
likewise  covered  very  high.  I  observed  that  the 
[white]  bear  had  gone  upon  Salt  Point,  where  I 
soon  discovered  the  mischief  done  by  this  animal 
on  an  oil-hogshead;  which  had  been  spoiled  last 
winter  by  a  wolf:  I  stood  for  some  time  viewing 
the  damage  with  astonishment.  The  cask  was 
made  of  strong  oak  staves,  well  secured  by  thick, 
broad  hoops  of  birch;  yet  this  creature  with  one 
stroke  of  his  tremendous  paw,  had  snapped  off  the 
four  chime-hoops,  and  broken  the  staves  short  off. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  103 

Suudaij,  May  3,  177.:?.  I  measured  the  thickness 
of  the  ice  in  the  river,  and  found  it  to  be  upwards 
of  three  feet.  Read  prayers  to  the  family.  In  the 
evening,  an  otter  came  up  the  river,  on  the  ice, 
when  the  hounds  winding  him,  went  off  in  full  cry, 
and  soon  came  up  with  and  killed  him. 

Tuesday,  May  ,5,  1772.  At  dajMight  I  sent 
Fogarty  and  Bettres  with  some  provisions,  &c. 
on  the  Xescaupick  sled  to  the  tilt,  and  at  eight 
o'clock  I  followed  them  myself,  with  Mrs.  Selby, 
my  tent,  and  the  rest  of  my  baggage  on  an  Esqui- 
mau sled,  drawn  by  six  dogs.  As  we  went  down 
the  river,  I  saw,  first  one  deer,  then  two,  and  after- 
wards three,  upon  the  ice.  I  fired  at  the  first  at 
the  distance  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  yards;  at 
the  second  at  tliree  hundred;  "and  at  one  of  the 
third  at  one  hundred  and  thirty  yards,  which  I 
killed,  but  missed  both  the  others.  Having  two 
couple  of  unentered  hounds  with  me,  I  let  them 
all  loose  to  blood  them,  but  the  old  dog  following 
the  first  deer,  I  was  not  able  to  catch  him  again. 
After  permitting  the  hounds  to  tear  at  the  throat 
for  a  while,  I  harnessed  them  again,  left  the  bag- 
gage on  the  ice,  laid  the  deer  on  the  sled,  and  we 
returned  home.  The  other  two  deer,  which  were 
with  the  one  that  T  liad  killed,  having  turned 
l)ar'k  and  run  up  tlie  river  on  our  track,  I  laid  the 
liounds  on  their  slot,  and  they  ran  it  so  eagerly, 
that  they  did  not  observe  where  they  turned  into 
the  woods,  but  kopt  on  in  full  cry  all  the  way  to 
my  door.  Tlie  r-i-y  of  the  hounds  being  echoed 
from  a  vnriety  of  plncos,  wn?  fine  beyond  desci'ip- 


104  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

tion;  and  it  is  inconceivable  liow  little  they  ap- 
peared to  feel  the  draught  and  weight  of  the 
sled. 

Saturday,  May  23, 1772,  I  was  out  the  whole  of 
this  day  endeavoring  to  kill  a  goose,  but  my  labour 
was  in  vain;  notwithstanding  I  saw  several,  and 
likewise  many  ducks. 

Tuesday,  June  2,  1772.  We  hauled  the  net  at 
day-light,  but  had  nothing  in  it.  I  then  put  out  an 
eel-pot,  and  having  tried  the  trout  several  times, 
at  length  I  killed  a  brace.  At  noon  eight  kyacks 
of  Esquimaux  came  up,  among  whom  were  At- 
tuiock,  Tooklavinia,  and  Etuiock;  the  rest  were 
part  of  those  who  came  here  last  Summer.  They 
informed  me  that  they  came  this  morning  in  two 
shallops  to  Great  Caribou,  where  they  had  left 
their  boats  and  families.  They  brought  me  pres- 
ents of  whale-bone,  venison,  and  eggs;  and  like- 
wise one  of  my  traps  with  an  otter  in  it,  which 
they  had  met  with  in  the  river  below.  I  purchased 
some  whale-bone  of  them,  and  in  the  evening  six 
of  them  returned,  leaving  the  other  two,  who 
stayed  all  night  with  me. 

Wednes.,  June  3,  1772.  After  breakfast  one 
of  the  Indian  shallops  came  up  to  Indian  Cove, 
from  which  place  the  women  walked  to  the  Lodge, 
and  stayed  till  the  afternoon.  I  bought  seventy- 
three  pounds  weight  of  long  bone,  and  a  few  skins 
of  them.  Having  only  the  marine  at  home,  I  had 
no  small  trouble  with  my  visitors  in  the  article  of 
provision;  for  the  number  being  great,  and  their 
appetites  likewise  in  proportion,  we  could  scarcely 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  105 

dress  victuals  fast  enough  for  them.  Tlicy  be- 
haved very  well  however,  and  returned,  to  all 
appearance,  contented  with  their  traffic  and 
entertainment.  I  skinned  and  spread  the 
otter. 

Tliuvsdaij,  June  4,  1772.  At  noon  I  went  down 
the  river  m  the  old  punt,  and  tailed  the  trap  which 
the  Lidians  had  brought  up,  on  Barred  Island, 
where  it  was  before.  Meeting  the  sealers,  who 
were  coming  up  with  herring  nets,  and  a  tierce  of 
salt,  I  returned  with  them;  and  with  their  assist- 
ance buried  my  late  old  servant,  Charles  Atkinson. 
They  afterwards  returned  home,  and  in  the  eve- 
ning I  tilled  a  little  more  of  the  lower  garden,  and 
likewise  took  up  the  salmon-net  which  I  hmig  up 
to  dry. 

Monday,  June  8,  1772.  Early  in  the  morning, 
taking  the  marine  with  me  in  the  old  punt,  and 
a  few  trading  goods,  I  intended  going  down  to  the 
Indians.  On  our  way  we  looked  at  the  traps,  and 
in  one,  which  was  tailed  in  a  deer-path  on  Salt 
Point,  we  found  a  lynx.^ 

Friday,  June  12,  1772.  In  the  afternoon  I  took 
up  both  the  nets,  and  put  them  out  afresh  below 
the  deeps,  and  had  two  slinks  in  them.  AVhiU^  wo 
were  employed  in  this  business,  a  skiif,  belonging 
to  Noble  and  Pinson,  arrived  and  took  possession 
of  the  river;  under  a  pretence  of  having  a  right 
so  to  do,  by  virtue  of  the  Acts  of  Parliament  rela- 
tive to  Newfoundland. 

Monday,  June  7,7,  1772.    As  Noble  and  Pinson *s 

^  Canada  lynx,  Lynx  canadensis. 


106  CAPTAIN    CARTWEIGHT'S 

people  had  taken  possession  of  the  river,  and 
the  dispute  could  not  be  settled  for  some 
time,  I  thought  it  best  to  send  my  people  to  the 
Colleroon. 

Tliiirsday,  June  18,  1772.  In  the  morning  sev- 
eral Indians  came  up  in  one  of  their  shallops,  and 
brought  me  a  pair  of  live  young  eagles,^  a  few 
ducks,  and  some  eggs.  I  had  a  little  whale-bone 
and  a  few  skins  from  them.'  They  remained  all 
night  with  me,  and  it  was  with  no  little  difficulty 
I  could  restrain  them  from  killing  Noble  and  Pin- 
son's  people,  for  disturbing  me  in  my  fishery.  At 
noon  I  took  the  chief  with  me  in  the  flat  up  the 
stream  a  fishing,  and  killed  three  salmon  and  a 
brace  of  trout  with  fly.  He  was  greatly  surprised 
to  see  me  kill  so  large  fish  with  such  fine  tackle, 
and  shewed  me  their  method  of  fly-fishing  for 
salmon,  but  he  did  not  raise  one.  He  had  the  skin 
of  the  leg  of  a  sea-pigeon,^  which  is  scarlet,  fast- 
ened on  the  shank  of  a  cod-hook,  tied  to  a  cod-line. 
This  he  threw  by  hand  down  the  stream,  and 
played  it  in  the  same  manner  as  we  do  a  fly.  I 
make  no  doubt  but  they  kill  some  salmon  in  this 
way,  or  he  would  not  have  been  provided  with 
such  tackle;  for  an  Indian  never  will  use  those 
things  which  will  not  answer  the  end  intended, 
but  I  do  not  think  theirs  a  good  way,  for  it  is  too 
awkward. 


'  Northern  bald  eagle,  Haliaeefus  leiicocephalus  alascaniis;  possibly  the 
golden  eagle,  Aquila  Chryso'etos,  although  this  species  is  very  rare  on  the 
Eastern  Coast. 

^  "  Sea-pigeon  "  or  "  pigeon,"  black  guillemot,  Cepphus  grylle. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  107 

Wechies.,  Jidij  1,  17 7. ^\  We  sailed  for  Camp 
Islands  early  this  moruiiig,  where  we  arrived  in 
a  short  space  of  time.  We  fomid  there,  seventeen 
tents  and  nine  shallops.  I  pitched  my  tent,  and 
carried  on  a  very  brisk  trade  during  the  whole 
of  the  day.  In  the  evening,  two  fresh  boats  ar- 
rived from  the  northward,  one  of  which  was  a 
whaling-boat,  and  had  a  good  deal  of  bone  in  her. 
At  sun-set,  the  Indians  amused  themselves  with 
playing  at  ball;  this  amusement  consisted  only 
in  tossing  the  ball  at  pleasure  from  one  to  another, 
each  striving  who  should  get  it;  but  I  soon  per- 
ceived they  were  very  bad  catchers.  I  taught 
them  the  sports  of  threading-the-needle,  and  leap- 
frog; the  latter  of  which  diverted  them  much,  as 
it  did  me  likewise:  for  as  they  had  no  idea  of 
springing,  and  the  women  playing  as  well  as  the 
men,  they  were  continually  tumbling  over  each 
other  in  glorious  confusion;  but  as  the  women 
wore  breeches,  it  was  of  very  little  consequence 
on  which  end  they  fell;  their  heads,  or  their  heels. 
The}^  had  likewise  a  game  much  resembling  that 
of  threading-the-needle;  but  instead  of  the  last 
couple  turning  hands  over  head,  the  leader  ran 
round,  till  they  were  all  wound  up  in  a  circle; 
when  pulling  and  hauling  different  ways,  they 
tumbled  over  each  other,  and  thus  finished  their 
sport.  One  of  them  having  a  very  bad  cold,  which 
I  understand  is  a  prevalent  disorder  amongst 
them,  T  bled  him. 

Friday,  July  5,  1772.  Two  shall()])s  went  off 
this  morning  for  Chateau.    I  saw  gi'eat  plenty  of 


108  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

caplin/  and  several  large  slioals  came  close  in 
shore,  when  the  Indians  and  I  killed  many  with 
darts. 

Monday,  July  6,  1772.  I  had  but  little  trade 
to-day.  The  Indians  were  diverting  themselves 
with  shooting  at  a  mark  with  their  arrows;  but  I 
cannot  say,  that  I  think  them  good  archers,  al- 
though their  bows  are  constructed  on  an  excellent 
principle;  for  by  the  assistance  of  a  back-string 
the  bow  preserves  its  elastic  power,  and  by  slack- 
ening or  tightening  this  string,  it  is  rendered  weak 
enough  for  a  child  of  five  years  old,  or  strong 
enough  for  the  most  powerful  man  amongst  them. 
As  there  is  something  particular  in  their  s]3ort  of 
to-day,  I  shall  endeavour  to  describe  it.  They 
provide  two  targets  of  four  feet  square,  made  of 
sticks,  and  covered  with  deer-skins.  These  they 
fix  on  poles  about  eight  feet  high,  and  at  sixty 
yards  distance  from  each  other.  The  men  divi- 
ding themselves  into  two  parties,  each  party  shoots 
twenty-one  arrows  at  one  of  the  targets,  standing 
by  the  other.  That  party  which  puts  the  most 
arrows  into  the  target,  gains  the  honour,  for  they 
have  not  the  least  idea  of  gaming.  The  victors 
immediately  set  up  shouts  of  mockery  and  deri- 
sion at  the  conquered  party;  these  they  continue 
for  some  time;  when  the  wives  and  daughters  of 
the  conquerors  join  in  the  triumph,  and  walking 
in  procession  round  the  targets,  sing  a  song  upon 
the  occasion,  priding  themselves  not  a  little  with 

^  Mallotus  villosus,  a  fish  resembling  the  smelt,  a  good  food-fish,  but 
used  chiefly  as  bait  for  cod. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  109 

the  defeat  of  their  opponents,  who  at  length  join 
in  the  laugh  against  themselves,  and  all  are 
friends  again,  ^vithout  any  offence  (seemingly) 
being  either  given  or  taken.  Upon  this  occasion 
the  women  wear  a  pair  of  clean  gloves,  made  of 
the  skins  of  white  foxes  or  hares,  and  these  they 
endeavour  to  make  as  much  shew  of  as  possible, 
by  holding  up  and  displaying  their  hands.  At  a 
little  distance  they  look  very  well,  but  on  inspec- 
tion, the}"  do  not  seem  to  be  calculated  so  much 
for  use  as  ornament;  the  fur  being  on  the  outside, 
Tliey  are  dressed  likewise  in  their  best  clothes  and 
large  boots,  and  having  marched  round  the  tar- 
gets, they  retire  to  one  side,  whilst  the  men  renew 
their  sport.  As  I  had  formerly  practiced  a  little 
with  the  bow,  I  was  not  quite  a  stranger  to  the 
use  of  it,  and  having  observed  them  for  some  time, 
I  desired  permission  to  shoot;  when,  more  by  ac- 
cident, than  superiority  of  skill,  I  sent  an  arro^v 
near  to  the  centre  of  the  target  at  the  first  shot. 
They  expressed  very  great  astonishment  at  my 
performance,  and  inmiediately  began  to  dance  and 
shout  arouiid  me;  which  they  continued  for  a  con- 
sideral)le  time.  But  a  different  scene  was  soon 
after  exhibited;  for  being  informed  by  one  of 
their  peo])le,  that  a  principal  man  amongst  them, 
had  stolen  a  skein  of  thread;  I  immediately  sent 
to  the  ehief  a  peremptory  order  to  bring  the 
thread  to  my  tent,  whirli  he  accordingly  complied 
will).  Having  reproved  liiiii  in  a  very  angry  tone 
foi'  his  ])ch;i\ioiir,  I  umnc  liim  n  few  strokes.  TTo 
instantly  made  resistance,  when  catching  him  in 


no  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

my  arms,  I  gave  liim  a  cross-buttock  (a  method 
of  throwing  unknown  to  them)  and  pitched  him 
with  great  force  headlong  out  of  my  tent.  I  then 
appealed  to  the  rest  for  the  justice  of  my  cause, 
who  not  only  applauded  me  for  the  action,  but 
seemed  to  have  a  high  opinion  both  of  my  lenity 
and  strength.  The  man  went  immediately  to  his 
tent,  and  returned  with  a  beautiful  seal-skin  as 
a  present  to  me;  but  I  would  by  no  means  accept 
of  it,  making  him  and  the  rest  understand,  that  I 
did  not  quarrel  with  him,  that  he  should  make  me 
a  present  to  be  reconciled;  but  because  he  had 
been  guilty  of  a  dishonest  action;  and  that  as  he 
now  seemed  to  be  sensible  of  his  crime,  I  was  per- 
fectl}^  satisfied.  I  told  them,  that  I  would  never 
steal  anything  from  them,  and  as  I  would  not  suf- 
fer any  of  my  people  to  plunder  them,  so  neither 
would  I  suffer  them  to  rob  me  with  impunity:  and 
I  moreover  assured  them ;  that  nothing  should  ever 
induce  me  to  take  away  their  lives.  By  words 
and  signs  together,  I  made  them  fully  comprehend 
my  meaning,  which  had  the  desired  effect ;  for  we 
were  afterwards  not  only  upon  the  most  friendly 
terms;  but  I  seemed  likewise  to  have  established 
an  authorit}^  over  them. 

Tuesday y  July  7, 1772.  I  spent  the  greatest  part 
of  the  day  in  visiting  from  tent  to  tent,  and  in 
conversing  with  the  principal  men;  who  not  only 
behaved  to  me  with  respect,  but  did  me  the  honour 
to  call  me  an  Esquimau:  and,  indeed,  in  outward 
appearance  the  difference  between  us  was  but  lit- 
tle; for,  being  habited  in  the  dress  of  the  country, 


LABRADOR    JOURN.VL  111 

the  only  marks  of  distiiictiun  were  my  hat  and 
complexion. 

Sunclaij,  July  12,  1772.  I  was  so  extremely  ill 
all  this  day,  as  to  be  obliged  to  keep  my  bed. 
Xow,  indeed,  my  situation  was  truly  wretclied! 
My  bed  la}^  on  the  wet  ground  in  a  small  tent, 
so  close  as  to  admit  but  littk^  air,  and  the  heat  was 
equal  to  that  of  a  cucumber  frame;  whilst  the 
steam  occasioned  by  the  moisture  extracted  from 
the  earth,  kept  a  continual  drop})ing  from  the  top. 
I  had  nothing  to  eat  but  salted  beef  and  pork,  and 
nothing  proper  to  give  me  relief.  I  had  no  one 
near  me  to  whom  I  could  make  known  my  com- 
plaints, except  the  Indians,  with  whose  language 
I  was  but  little  acquainted.  They  seemed  how- 
ever to  be  really  aifected  with  my  situation, 
though  without  the  knowledge  of  administering 
relief;  nor  wei'e  they  sensible  that  a  continual 
noise  could  disturb  a  sick  person.  After  it  was 
dark  they  gave  me  a  convincing  proof  of  their 
attachment  (which  I  would  most  gladly  have  ex- 
cused) by  assembling  in  and  aliout  the  tent  near- 
est to  mine,  and  there  performing  some  super- 
stitious ceremonies  for  my  recovery.  As  T  was 
not  an  eye  witness  of  their  rites,  T  can  only  say 
that  they  were  accompanied  wilh  such  horrid 
yells  and  hideous  outcries,  as  T  never  before  had 
heard  from  the  mouths  of  the  human  species. 
These  dismal  notes  were  contimied  till  day-light; 
add  to  thi'<,  llicir  dogs  were  incessantly  fighting, 
and  tumbling  upon  my  tent. 

[Cartwright  S(»on  i-ee(»\ ci'cd.  nltbojui:!!  a  cough, 


112  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

''  which  resembled  the  explosion  of  gunpowder  " 
troubled  him  at  first.  Trading,  fishing  and  hunt- 
ing continued  as  usual.] 

Friday,  August  14,  1772.  At  eleven  o'clock  Mr. 
Hill  accompanied  me  down  the  river,  [Charles] 
on  a  party  of  pleasure;  we  went  in  our  kyacks, 
with  provisions  for  two  or  three  days,  and  landed 
by  the  brook  in  Salt  Cove.  In  the  evening,  twenty 
geese  came  into  the  fresh-water  pond,  which  emp- 
ties itself  into  the  Cove;  but  as  we  could  not  get 
near  enough  to  them,  we  let  them  alone  till  it  was 
dark,  when  we  divided  and  tried  again.  As  we 
were  watching  the  geese,  a  hind  and  calf  came 
close  up  to  Mr.  Hill,  but  he  did  not  fire,  on  a  sup- 
position that  he  could  not  kill  one  with  shot.  The 
deer  winding  him,  went  hastily  off,  and  drove 
away  the  geese.  We  then  laid  down  under  some 
trees,  and  endeavored  to  compose  ourselves  to 
sleep;  but  we  were  prevented  till  mid-night,  by 
the  intolerable  biting  of  the  moschetos,^  at  which 
time  we  met  with  another  as  unpleasant  attack, 
but  of  a  different  kind.  A  storm  came  on  at  that 
time,  which  lasted  an  hour,  during  which,  it  thun- 
dered and  lightened  most  tremendously,  accom- 
panied with  much  rain.  Mr.  Hill  got  up,  and 
would  have  had  me  done  the  same,  but  I  replied, 
*'  Since  I  can  be  no  better  off,  I  am  resolved  to 
lie  where  I  am  till  day-light,  unless  I  am  floated 
off  the  ground."  After  the  storm  was  over  a  set- 
tled rain  set  in  and  continued  all  night.    Mr.  Hill 

^  The  mosquitoes,  midges,  black  flies,  moose  flies  and  horse  fliea  of 
Labrador  are  the  equals  of  any  in  the  world  in  ferocity  and  numbers. 


LABRADOR    JOURXAL  113 

killed  three  curlews  as  we  were  crossing  the 
isthmus. 

Moudai/,  Aug  list  24,  1772.  At  day-light  we 
sailed  for  Chateau,  aud  arrived  in  Lance  Cove  at 
four  in  the  afternoon;  we  left  the  shallop  there, 
and  went  on  board  the  Otter,  where  we  remained 
I  he  night.  By  the  way  we  met  the  Otter's  boat 
coming  to  me,  with  a  message  from  captain 
Morris. 

Thursday,  August  27,  1772.  Captain  Morris 
sending  his  boat  for  me  this  morning,  I  went  on 
board  and  breakfasted  with  him;  after  which  I 
set  off  homewards  in  the  Otter's  yawl,  under  the 
command  of  ^Ir.  Sympson,  the  gimner,  whom  cap- 
tain Morris  sent  to  order  all  the  Indians  to  return 
home  immediately;  excepting  those  who  were  to 
go  to  England  with  me,  and  a  few  others  who  were 
to  remain  all  winter  at  my  settlement. 

Tliursdaij,  September  10,  1772.  After  breakfast 
I  went  down  the  river  in  my  kyack  and  landed  on 
the  north  east  side  of  Salt  Cove;  from  whence  I 
walked  across  to  Wolf  Cove,  where  I  saw  several 
geese  and  a  snipe ;  ^  which  is  the  first  I  have  seen 
in  this  country. 

Saturday,  September  12,  1772.  Early  in  the 
morning  a  shallop  of  Noble  and  Pinson's  came  up 
here;  which  I  sent  off  inunediately  for  the  Colle- 
roon,  to  bring  down  the  salmon,  the  crew,  and 
craft.  They  had  not  been  gone  half  an  hour,  be- 
fore my  house  took  fire,  and  lia\iiig  nobody  at 
home  to  assist  iiic  buf   llic  boy,    il    was  burnt   to 

'  Wilaon'e  Hoipe,  Gallinago  ddicala,  a.  rare  Humnicr  rcHidciit  of  Labrador. 


114  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

the  ground  in  a  short  time,  together  with  the  serv- 
ants' house  and  sahnon-house.  We  saved  but 
twenty-nine  tierces  of  salmon,  and  a  few  other 
things,  most  of  which  were  damaged.  Sixteen 
tierces  were  burnt,  as  were  all  the  goods  for  In- 
dian trade ;  all  our  slops,  and  my  private  baggage. 
With  much  labour  we  saved  the  store-house,  and 
prevented  the  woods  from  taking  fire.  As  soon 
as  that  was  effected  I  walked  in  among  the  ruins, 
picked  up  some  gun  barrels,  and  broiled  some 
steakes  of  venison  upon  them,  to  refresh  my  wear- 
ied spirits.  I  then  took  up  my  lodgings  in  the 
store-house,  having  fortunately  saved  some  bed- 
clothes. My  private  loss  I  computed  at  near 
five  hundred  pounds;  and  that  of  the  partner- 
ship at  two  hundred  and  fifty.  In  the  eve- 
ning another  shallop  of  Noble  and  Pinson's  ar- 
rived. 

A  fine  day,  but  rained  hard  in  the  night,  which 
prevented  the  fire  from  spreading  again. 

Sunday,  September  13,  1772.  The  fire  still 
burns  fiercely  in  the  ruins,  particularly  among  the 
salmon.  I  picked  up  some  of  my  plate,  but  most 
of  it  was  melted.  We  shipped  the  salmon  on 
board  the  shallop,  and  sent  her  off  for  Chateau 
at  night. 

Rainy  weather. 

Saturday,  September  19,  1772.  All  hands  were 
set  to  work  on  a  new  house,  which  we  got  studded 
by  night,  and  part  of  the  chimney  built.  I  killed 
a  seal  from  the  door,  but  did  not  get  it. 

Monday,   September   21,    1772.     Early   in   the 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  115 

morning  1  had  the  scaling  skiff  repaired,  and  took 
an  inventory  of  what  goods  remained.  I  then 
engaged  two  of  tlie  people  afresh,  and,  at  noon, 
sailed  with  the  rest  for  Chateau  to  get  a  passage 
for  England.  At  midnight  we  came  to  an  anchor 
at  Seal  Island. 

It  snowed  very  hard  both  before,  and  some  time 
after,  day-light ;  it  lay  eight  inches  deep,  but  went 
off  at  noon. 

Thursday,  October  29,  1772.  I  sent  part  of  our 
baggage  on  board  [the  Mary  at  Lance  Cove].  In 
the  morning  the  Indian  shallop  came  here,  and 
they  pitched  their  tents  on  the  beach.  It  was  this 
day  determined,  that  Attuiock,  Ickcongoque,  his 
youngest  wife;  Ickeuna,  her  daughter;  (a  child 
under  four  years  of  age)  Tooklavinia,  Attuiock 's 
youngest  brother;  and  Caubvick  his  wife,  should 
accompany  me  to  England.  Another  brother, 
with  his  wife,  are  already  gone  to  England  with 
Perkins  and  Coghlan's  head-man;  and  their  other 
two  brothers,  Nawadlock  and  Scheidley,  with 
their  families,  and  Attuiock 's  other  three  wives, 
with  the  rest  of  their  children,  are  to  winter  at 
my  sealing-post  at  Stage  Cove.  I  gave  them  very 
particular  injunctions  for  their  behaviour,  and 
they  promised  obedience. 

Friday,  Ortohrr  30,  1772.  This  afternoon  the 
vessel  went  higher  up  tlie  bay,  to  be  ready  to  go 
to  sea  as  soon  as  the  wind  servos. 

The  rest  of  the  Indians  being  gone  to  Charles 
Harbour,  those  who  are  to  go  1o  England  with  me 
are   accommodated   in    Mr.   Pinson's  house.     On 


116  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

going  into  the  room  wliere  they  slept,  I  observed 
Attuiock  performing  a  ceremony,  which,  for  its 
singularity,  I  shall  take  the  liberty  to  relate.  His 
wife  was  laid  upon  the  floor,  with  her  hands  by 
her  sides:  Attuiock  sat  on  the  right  side  of  his 
wife,  so  far  back,  as  to  have  her  head  opposite  to 
his  knees.  He  had  placed  a  loose  strap  under  her 
head,  which  came  over  her  forehead.  In  this  strap 
he  put  the  end  of  a  strong  stick,  which  he  held  in 
his  hands  across  his  knees.  With  great  gravity, 
and  in  a  low,  doleful  cadence,  he  sung  a  song,  fre- 
quently laying  a  strong  emj)hasis  on  some  par- 
ticular word  which  I  did  not  understand;  at  the 
same  time,  by  the  help  of  a  lever,  he  raised  her 
head  as  high  as  the  length  of  her  neck  would  per- 
mit, and  then  let  it  bump  down  again  upon  the 
floor,  keeping  time  to  the  tune.  As  I  supposed 
it  was  a  religious  rite,  (he  being  a  priest^)  I  si- 
lently observed  what  was  going  foreward.  At 
length,  the  old  gentleman  fixing  his  eyes  on  me, 
pointed  to  his  wife,  with  an  important  look,  and 
said,  ''It  is  very  good,  very  good.''  "  That  may 
be,"  replied  I,  "  but  pray  what  is  it  good  for?  " 
"  My  wife  has  got  the  head-ach,"  answered  the 
priest.  Not  willing  to  affront  him,  I  got  out  of 
the  room  as  fast  as  possible,  that  I  might  indulge 
myself  in  a  hearty  laugh,  at  the  curious  Esquimau 
method  of  curing  that  complaint. 

Saturday,  November  7,  1772.  In  the  evening 
Mr.  Pinson,  the  Indians,  myself,  and  Mrs.  Selby, 
and  all  the  other  passengers  embarked  ?ind  lay  on 

*  Eskimo,  angakok. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  117 

board  the  Mary;  a  ship  cuiiuiianded  b\'  Air.  CJeorge 
Monday. 

Sunday y  Novemher  8,  1772.  At  day-break  we 
put  to  sea,  and  set  sail  for  Ireland.  AVe  found  a 
very  great  sea  in  the  streights,  and  by  night  were 
two  leagues  to  the  eastward  of  the  island  of  Belle 
Isle. 

Saturdaij,  Xovemher  21^  1772.  Nothing  more 
occurred  than  is  usual  in  voyages  at  this  time  of 
the  year  across  the  Ath\ntic,  till  three  o'clock  this 
morning;  when,  by  some  mismanagement  of  the 
helm,  the  ship  was  caught  by  the  lee  as  she  was 
scudding  under  the  fore-sail,  and  was  near  foun- 
dering before  the  sail  could  be  clued  up;  that 
being  effected,  we  brought  to  under  the  mizen- 
stay-sail.  At  day-light  we  found  the  bolt-sprit 
was  sprung;  we  then  reefed  the  fore-top-mast, 
secured  the  fore-mast  and  Ixdt-sprit,  and  put  her 
before  the  wind  again. 

Thick  weather,  and  a  great  sea. 

Sunday,  November  22,  1772.  Tlie  Indians  grew 
extremely  uneasy  to-day,  and  insisted  that  we 
had  lost  ourselves  and  should  never  more  see 
land.  I  then  examined  the  log  book,  and  shewed 
them  upon  the  chart  where  we  were;  adding,  that 
we  should  make  the  land  <•!'  Ireland,  near  Cape 
Clear,  to-morrow;  ])ut  they  gave  very  little  credit 
to  what  I  said. 

Thick  weather. 

Monday,  November  23,  1772.  \\  day-break,  the 
wind  having  shifted  and  cleared  the  sky,  we  per- 
ceived ourselves  to  be  iiol   more  Jhaii  four  miles 


118  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

from  the  land,  and  near  Bantry  Bay.  Nothing 
but  the  hmnediate  interposition  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence, or  a  series  of  fortunate  accidents  (should 
the  former  be  doubted)  could  possibly  have  saved 
our  lives.  For  had  we  not  broached  to  on  Satur- 
day last,  and  by  so  doing  lost  twenty  leagues  of 
ground,  we  must  have  run  on  shore  in  a  heavy 
gale  and  thick  weather,  at  ten  o'clock  last  night. 
Had  not  the  wind  abated  to  almost  a  calm  at  five 
this  morning,  we  should  have  been  on  shore  by 
six;  and  if  it  had  not  cleared  up  just  when  it  did, 
and  the  wind  shifted,  we  should  soon  have  been 
too  near  the  land  to  have  cleared  it.  We  passed 
Cape  Clear  in  a  little  time,  and  ran  along  shore 
till  midnight,  when  we  brought  to  for  day-light. 

A  fine  day. 

Tuesday,  November  24,  1772.  At  day-light  we 
found  ourselves  between  Youghall  and  Dungar- 
von,  and  hauled  close  up  to  the  mouth  of  the  latter 
place  in  hopes  of  a  boat  coming  off  to  take  the 
servant  passengers  on  shore;  in  which  case  we 
should  immediately  have  proceeded  for  England: 
but  none  appearing,  we  went  forward  for  Water- 
ford,  and  anchored  at  Passage  at  three  in  the 
afternoon.  We  found  here,  his  Majesty's  frigate 
Glory,  commanded  by  my  old  acquaintance  cap- 
tain Chads.  In  the  evening  my  friends  and  I 
landed  at  Passage,  where  we  supped;  then  went 
to  Waterford  in  a  noddy*  and  two  carrs,  where 
we  arrived  at  one  o'clock  the  next  morning. 

Wednes.,  November  25,  1772.    We  remained  at 

^  A  four-wheeled  cab  with  the  door  at  the  back. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  119 

^\'atel•t\>l•ll  t'roiu  this  day  till  the  twenty-eighth, 
and  1  was  teased  to  death  by  the  curiosity  of  the 
whole  town  and  country  to  see  the  Indians.' 

Saturday,  Novemher  28,  1772.  After  breakfast 
we  set  olf  for  Passage,  but  could  scarcely  get 
through  the  streets  for  the  concourse  of  people; 
every  window  likewise  was  full. 

Sunday,  November  29,  1772.  At  day-light  we 
unmoored,  and  soon  after  sailed  for  Dartmouth, 
with  a  fair  wind  and  fine  weather. 

Friday,  December  4,  1772.  Meeting  with  con- 
trary winds  and  very  thick  weather,  we  were 
working  between  Ireland,  England,  and  Scilly 
imtil  this  day;  w^hen  not  being  able  to  do  better, 
we  ran  into  St.  Helling's  Pool  in  Scilly. 

Saturday,  Decewher  5,  1772.  After  breakfast 
I  took  the  Indians  wdth  me  and  w^ent  to  St. 
Mary's,  the  largest  of  the  Scilly  Islands,  and 
stayed  the  night  there. 

Sunday,  December  6,  1772.  Meeting  with  the 
Providence  brig  botmd  for  London,  I  took  pas- 
sage in  her;  the  Indians  and  myself  then  returned 
to  the  ship  and  brought  away  all  our  baggage  and 
ptit  it  on  board  the  Providence. 

Wednes.,  December  9,  1772.  At  four  o'clock 
this  morning  we  sailed  for  Tjondon;  the  master 
and  mate  both  drunk.  At  cighl  at  night  wo  were 
abreast  of  ^loiuit's  Bay. 

Friday,  7  7,  to  Sunday,  13.  At  three  o'clock  this 
afternoon  we  came  to  an  anchor  in   ilie  Downs, 

'  Tho  roaflfr  nood  not  bo  romindod  that  thw  word  in  constantly  n^ed 
for  Eflkimos. 


120  CAPTAIN    CAET WRIGHT'S 

and  took  a  pilot  on  board.  We  sailed  from  thence 
the  next  morning,  and  in  twenty-four  hours  came 
to  an  anchor  in  Gravesend  Road;  I  landed  with 
the  two  men,  and  set  off  for  London  in  a  post- 
chaise,  where  we  arrived  at  three  in  the  after- 
noon. 

Monday,  December  14,  1772.  I  went  down  the 
river  this  morning,  met  the  vessel  in  the  Pool,  and 
brought  the  women  on  shore.  They  were  greatly 
astonished  at  the  number  of  shipping  which  they 
saw  in  the  river;  for  they  did  not  suppose  that 
there  were  so  many  in  the  whole  world :  but  I  was 
exceedingly  disappointed  to  observe  them  pass 
through  London  Bridge  without  taking  much  no- 
tice of  it.  I  soon  discovered  that  they  took  it  for 
a  natural  rock  which  extended  across  the  river. 
They  laughed  at  me  when  I  told  them  it  was  the 
work  of  men;  nor  could  I  make  them  believe  it, 
till  we  came  to  Blackfriars  Bridge,  which  I  caused 
them  to  examine  with  more  attention;  shewing 
them  the  joints,  and  pointing  out  the  marks  of 
the  chizzels  upon  the  stones.  They  no  sooner  com- 
prehended by  what  means  such  a  structure  could 
be  erected,  than  they  expressed  their  wonder  with 
astonishing  significancy  of  countenance. 

On  landing  at  Westminster  Bridge,  we  were 
immediately  surrounded  by  a  great  concourse  of 
people;  attracted  not  only  by  the  uncommon  ap- 
pearance of  the  Indians  who  were  in  their  seal- 
skin dresses,  but  also  by  a  beautiful  eagle,  and 
an  Esquimau  dog;  which  had  much  the  resem- 
blance of  a  wolf,  and  a  remarkable  wildness  of 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  121 

look.^  I  put  tlieni  all  into  coaches,  with  as  much 
expedition  as  possible,  and  drove  off  to  the  lodg- 
ings ^Yhich  I  had  prepared  in  Leicester  Street. 

In  a  few  days  time,  I  had  so  many  applications 
for  admittance  to  see  the  new  visitors,  that  my 
time  was  wholh'  taken  up  in  gratifying  the  curi- 
osity of  my  friends  and  their  acquaintance;'  and 
the  numbers  who  came  made  my  lodgings  very 
inconvenient  to  the  landlord  as  well  as  to  myself. 
I  therefore  resolved  to  look  out  for  a  house.  I 
soon  hired  a  small  one,  ready  furnished,  for  ten 
guineas  a  month,  in  Little  Castle  Street,  Oxford 
Market,  and  removed  thither. 

Being  willing,  as  far  as  lay  in  my  power,  to 
comply  with  the  incessant  applications  of  my 
friends  for  a  sight  of  the  Indians;  and  finding 
it  impossible  either  to  have  any  rest,  or  time  to 
transact  business,  I  appropriated  two  days  a  week 
to  that  purpose,  viz.,  Tuesdays  and  Fridays.  On 
those  days,  not  onh^  my  house  was  filled,  even 
to  an  inconvenience,  but  the  street  w^as  so  much 
crowded  with  carriages  and  people,  that  my  resi- 
dence was  a  great  nuisance  to  the  neighbourhood. 

As  their  skin  dresses  had  a  dirty  appearance 
and  an  offensive  smell,  I  provided  a  (iiiaiitity  of 
broad-cloth,  flannel,  and  beads,  togellicr  witli 
whatever  else  was  necess.-irx-,  and  1lie  women 
now  having  leisure  to  work,  and  being  excel- 
lent  taylors,  soon   cloihed   tliem   all   anew;    pre- 

'  The  Eskimo  doR  of  Liihnwior  of  tin-  present  day  resembles  vcr>'  olosoly 
the  northern  wolf,  exec-pt  that  it  usually  earriiw  tiu-  tail  curled  over  the 
back  instead  of  partially  extended  behind. 


122  CAPTAIN   CABT WRIGHT'S 

serving  their  own  fashion  in  the  cut  of  their  gar- 
ments. 

I  once  took  the  men  to  the  opera  when  their 
Majesties  were  there,  and  we  chanced  to  sit  near 
Mr.  Coleman,  the  manager  of  Covent  Garden  The- 
atre, who  politely  invited  all  the  Indians  and  my- 
self to  a  play  at  his  house.  He  fixed  on  Cymbeline, 
and  they  were  greatly  delighted  with  the  repre- 
sentation. But  their  pride  was  most  highly  grati- 
fied, at  being  received  with  a  thundering  applause 
by  the  audience  on  entering  the  box.  The  men 
soon  observed  to  their  wives,  that  they  were 
placed  in  the  King's  box,  and  received  in  the  same 
manner  as  their  Majesties  were  at  the  opera; 
which  added  considerably  to  the  pleasure  which 
they  felt  from  the  toid  ensemble.  Never  did  I 
observe  so  young  a  child  pay  such  unremitting 
attention  to  the  whole  representation,  as  little 
Ickeuna;  no  sooner  did  the  swords  begin  to  clash, 
in  the  fighting  scene  between  Posthumus  and 
lachimo,  but  she  set  up  a  most  feeling  scream. 

About  a  fortnight  after  our  arrival  in  town, 
having  provided  great-coats,  boots,  and  hats  for 
the  men,  in  order  that  they  might  pass  through 
the  streets  unobserved,  I  took  Attuiock  with  me 
and  walked  be3^ond  the  Tower.  We  there  took 
boat,  rowed  up  the  river,  and  landed  at  Westmin- 
ster Bridge ;  from  whence  we  walked  to  Hyde  Park 
Corner,  and  then  home  again.  I  was  in  great  ex- 
pectation, that  he  would  begin  to  relate  the  won- 
ders which  he  had  seen,  the  instant  he  entered  the 
room;    but  I  found  myself  greatly  disappointed. 


'B 


a 

c 
w 


"^\j^p^^ 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  123 

He  iinmediately  sat  down  by  the  tire  side,  placed 
both  his  hands  on  his  knees,  leaned  his  head  for- 
ward, lixed  his  eyes  on  the  ground  in  a  stupid 
stare;  and  continued  in  that  posture  for  a  con- 
siderable time.  At  length,  tossing  up  his  head, 
and  fixing  his  eyes  on  the  cieling,  he  broke  out 
in  the  following  soliloquy;  '*  Oh!  I  am  tired; 
here  are  too  many  houses;  too  much  smoke;  too 
many  people;  Labrador  is  very  good;  seals  are 
plentiful  there;  I  wish  I  was  back  agahi."  By 
which  I  could  plainly  perceive,  that  the  multi- 
plicity, and  variety  of  objects  had  confounded  his 
ideas;  which  were  too  much  confined  to  compre- 
hend any  thing  but  the  inconveniences  that  he  had 
met  with.  And  indeed,  the  longer  they  continued 
in  England,  the  more  was  I  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  that  opinion;  for  their  admiration  increased  in 
proportion,  as  their  ideas  expanded;  till  at  length 
they  began  more  clearly  to  comprehend  the  use^ 
beauty,  and  mechanism  of  Avhat  they  saw;  though 
the  greater  part  of  these  were  as  totally  lost  upon 
them,  as  they  would  have  been  upon  one  of  the 
brute  creation. 

Although  they  had  often  passed  81.  Paul's  with- 
out betraying  any  great  astonishment,  or  at  least 
not  so  much  as  all  Europeans  do  at  llie  first  sight 
of  one  of  those  stupendous  islands  of  ic(\  wliich 
are  daily  to  be  seen  near  the  east  coast  of  their 
own  country,  yet  when  T  took  them  to  the  top  of 
it,  and  convinced  them  tlial  if  was  built  by  the 
hands  of  men  (a  circumstance  wliicji  lind  nnf  en- 
tered their  heads  hcfovc,  foi-  flicy  lind  supposed 


124  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

it  a  natural  production)  they  were  quite  lost  in 
amazement.  The  people  below,  they  compared  to 
mice;  and  insisted,  that  it  must  at  least  be  as  high 
as  Cape  Charles,  which  is  a  mountain  of  consid- 
erable altitude.  Upon  my  asking  them  how  they 
should  describe  it  to  their  countrymen  on  their 
return,  they  replied,  with  a  look  of  the  utmost 
expression,  they  should  neither  mention  it,  nor 
many  other  things  which  they  had  seen,  lest  they 
should  be  called  liars,  from  the  seeming  impos- 
sibility of  such  astonishing  facts. 

Walking  along  Piccadilly  one  day  with  the  two 
men,  I  took  them  into  a  shop  to  shew  them  a  col- 
lection of  animals.  We  had  no  sooner  entered 
than  I  observed  their  attention  riveted  on  a  small 
monkey;  and  I  could  perceive  horror  most 
strongly  depicted  in  their  countenances.  At 
length  the  old  man  turned  to  me  and  faltered 
out,  '*  Is  that  an  Esquimau?  "  I  must  confess, 
that  both  the  colour  and  contour  of  the  counte- 
nance had  considerable  resemblance  to  the  people 
of  their  nation;  but  how  they  could  conceive  it 
possible  for  an  Esquimau  to  be  reduced  to  that 
diminutive  size,  I  am  wholly  at  a  loss  to  account 
for;  unless  they  had  fixed  their  attention  on  the 
countenance  only,  and  had  not  adverted  to  any 
other  particulars.  On  pointing  out  several  other 
monkeys  of  different  kinds,  they  were  greatly 
diverted  at  the  mistake  which  they  had  made; 
but  were  not  well  pleased  to  observe,  that  mon- 
keys resembled  their  race  much  more  than  ours. 

The  parrots,  and  other  talkative  birds,  next  at- 


LABE.IDOR    JOURNAL  125 


Iracted  their  notice.  ^Uid  it  was  a  great  treat  to 
me,  both  then  and  at  all  other  times,  to  observe 
their  different  emotions,  much  more  forcibly  ex- 
pressed in  their  comitenances,  than  is  possible  to 
he  done  by  those,  wliose  feelings  are  not  equally 
genume.  Civilized  nations  imperceptibly  con- 
tract an  artilicial  expression  of  countenance,  to 
help  out  their  languid  feelings;  for  knowledge, 
by  a  communication  with  the  world  and  books, 
enlightens  our  ideas  so  much,  that  they  are  not 
so  liable  to  be  taken  by  surj^rise,  as  the  unin- 
formed mind  of  the  savage,  who  never  had  the 
least  hint  given  him,  that  certain  things  are  in 
existence;  consequently,  they  break  upon  him  as 
unexpectedly,  and  forcibly,  as  the  sun  would  do 
upon  a  man  who  was  born  deaf  and  blind,  in  case 
he  should  suddenly  be  brought  to  sight  on  a  clear 
day. 

Being  on  a  dining  visit,  with  that  excellent  sur- 
geon and  anatomist,  the  ingenious  John  Hunter,^ 
in  the  afternoon  Attuiock  walked  out  of  the  room 
by  himself,  but  presently  returned  with  such  evi- 
dent marks  of  terror,  that  we  were  all  greatly 
alarmed,  fearing  some  accident  had  happened  to 
liini;  or,  that  he  had  met  with  an  insult  from  one 
of  the  servants.  lie  seized  hold  of  my  hand,  and 
eagerly  pressed  me  to  go  along  with  him.  I  asked 
the  cause  of  his  emotion,  but  could  get  nothing 
more  from  him  than  ''  Come  along,  come  along 
with  iik;,"  and  he  hastily  led  me  into  a  room  in 

'  Notofl  HurRoon,  aniitonii.Mt,  .irwl  |)liysi()l()|^i.st ;  iiuUior  of  "  TroatiHC 
on  the  BlfXKl,  Inflammation,  and  (iunwhot  Wounda,"  etc.     1728  to  1793. 


126  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

the  yard,  in  which  stood  a  glass  case  containing 
many  human  bones.  ' '  Look  there, ' '  says  he,  with 
more  horror  and  consternation  in  his  countenance, 
than  I  ever  beheld  in  that  of  man  before,  '^  are 
those  the  bones  of  Esquimaux  whom  Mr.  Hunter 
has  killed  and  eaten?  Are  we  to  be  killed?  Will 
he  eat  us,  and  put  our  bones  there?  "  As  the 
whole  company  followed  us,  the  other  Indians  had 
also  taken  the  alarm  before  the  old  priest  had 
finished  his  interrogatories;  nor  did  any  of  them 
seem  more  at  ease,  b}^  the  rest  of  us  breaking  out 
into  a  sudden  and  hearty  laugh,  till  I  explained 
to  them  that  those  were  the  bones  of  our  own  peo- 
ple, who  had  been  executed  for  certain  crimes 
committed  by  them,  and  were  preserved  there, 
that  Mr.  Hunter  might  better  know  how  to  set 
those  of  the  living,  in  case  any  of  them  should 
chance  to  be  broken;  which  often  happened  in  so 
populous  a  country.  They  were  then  perfectly 
satisfied,  and  approved  of  the  practice;  but  Attu- 
iock's  nerves  had  received  too  great  a  shock  to 
enable  him  to  resume  his  usual  tranquility,  till 
he  found  himself  safe  in  my  house  again. 

Passing  through  Hyde  Park,  in  our  way  to  Hol- 
land House,  and  observing  his  Majesty  looking  at 
the  regiment  of  Old  Buffs,  which  were  then  going 
to  Plymouth,  we  got  out  of  the  coach  and  went 
up  to  the  front;  where  I  explained  to  them  the 
use  of  that  body  of  men,  and  of  the  evolutions 
which  they  were  performing.  After  his  Majesty 
had  reviewed  the  regiment  collectively,  the  re- 
cruits were  drawn  out  at  a  few  paces  distant  from 


John    Hunter 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  127 

the  left  flank,  that  he  might  exaiuiiie  them  sep- 
arately. So  great  a  crowd  had  gathered  round 
us,  as  incommoded  our  view  of  tlie  troops,  and 
attracted  the  notice  of  the  King,  who  then  sent 
General  Ilarvev  to  order  me  with  the  Indians, 
into  the  vacant  space  between  the  regiment  and 
the  recruits.  Here  his  ^lajesty  rode  slowly  past 
them,  and  condescended  to  sahite  them  l\v  taking 
off  his  hat,  accompanied  with  a  gracious  smile; 
honours  which  they  were  highly  pleased  with,  and 
often  mentioned  afterwards  with  great  exultation. 
Nor  were  they  in  the  least  displeased  that  his 
Majesty  did  not  speak  to  them;  since  I  had  pre- 
viously told  them  not  to  expect  it;  and  they  ob- 
served that  he  spoke  to  none  but  the  commanding 
officer,  and  one  or  two  of  those  who  were  in  at- 
tendance. 

They  were  afterw^ards  greatly  diverted  at  the 
expence  of  the  Hon.  Stephen  Fox.  That  gentle- 
man came  to  Holland  House  on  purpose  to  see  the 
Indians  there;  but  when  he  arrived,  they  were 
at  the  end  of  a  long  gallery:  Stephen  being  rather 
out  of  wind  with  walking  up  stairs,  sat  down  at 
the  door  to  wait  their  return,  where  he  unfortu- 
nately fell  fast  asleep.  Although  we  continued  a 
long  time  in  the  house  with  Lord  ^  and  Lady  Hol- 

•  Henr>-  Fox,  first  Lord  Holland,  was  the  fathor  of  tlio  above  men- 
tioned Stephen  Fox,  afterward  second  Lord  Holland,  and  of  Charles  James 
Fox.  Henr>'  (iie<l  in  1774,  the  year  followiiin  Cart wrinht's  visit,  and  the 
death  of  Stephen  soon  followed,  as  mip;ht  be  pxix'rtcd  from  the  descrip- 
tion of  this  Kentleman  as  given  by  our  author.  Holland  House,  which 
became  a  great  social  centre  during  the  life  of  the  third  Lord  Holland, 
Henrv  Richard  \';L-dall  Fox.  is  still  stanfling  in  Kensington. 


128  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

land,  he  did  uot  awake  from  his  slumber  till  we 
had  got  into  the  coach  to  go  away;  when  he 
mounted  his  poney  and  gallopped  off.  His  man- 
ner of  retreat  made  them  express  great  compas- 
sion for  the  poor  beast,  whose  unfortunate  lot  it 
was  to  carry  so  great  a  weight  at  such  a  rate ;  nor 
could  I  help  censuring  him  myself  for  cruelty,  till 
I  was  informed  that  he  would  have  fallen  asleep 
on  horse-back  had  he  gone  slower.  Then,  indeed, 
I  pitied  both  horse  and  rider. 

I  continued  in  London  till  the  month  of  Febru- 
ary; at  w^hich  time  I  took  the  Indians  with  me 
to  my  father's  house  at  Marnham  in  Nottingham- 
shire, where  we  stayed  six  weeks.  While  w^e  were 
there  I  amused  them  with  all  kinds  of  field  diver- 
sions :  we  also  made  several  visits  in  the  neighbor- 
hood; particularly  one  to  Kelham,  where  Lord 
George  Sutton  politely  invited  our  whole  family, 
and  entertained  my  friends  with  a  fox-chase.  For- 
tunately we  had  an  excellent  run  of  twelve  miles, 
and  it  was  very  singular,  that,  although  the  In- 
dians had  been  on  horse-back  only  three  times 
before,  they  were  both  in  at  the  death;  which  hap- 
pened in  an  open  field,  with  three  couple  and  a 
half  of  hounds,  out  of  twenty-five  couples;  a  proof 
how  hard  they  must  have  driven  him. 

I  soon  found  the  country  agree  much  better 
with  their  inclinations,  as  well  as  their  health, 
than  London.  Here  they  could  enjoy  fresh  air 
and  exercise,  without  being  distressed  by  crowds 
of  people  gathering  round  them  whenever  they 
stirred  out;   which  was  always  the  case  in  town. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  129 

The  womeu,  according  to  the  universal  disposition 
of  the  fair  sex,  enjoyed  visiting  and  dancing;  and 
I  must  say,  that  Cauhvick  attained  to  great  })er- 
fection  in  that  graceful  accomplishment,  during 
her  short  stay.  The  men  were  best  pleased  with 
sporting;  the  exquisite  nose  of  the  hound,  which 
could  follow  an  animal  ])y  the  scent,  over  an  open 
coimtry  or  through  a  thick  wood,  almost  as  swiftly 
as  he  could  have  done  had  the  creature  been  in 
view,  the  sagacity  and  steadiness  of  the  pointer, 
and  the  speed  of  the  greyhound,  were  matters  of 
great  astonishment  to  them.  But  above  all,  they 
were  most  struck  with  the  strength,  beauty,  and 
utility  of  that  piece  of  perfection  in  the  brute  crea- 
tion, that  noble  animal,  the  horse. 

The  face  of  the  countr}^  did  not  pass  unobserved 
by  them,  and  their  expression  was  ^'  The  land  is 
all  made;  "  for  they  supposed  that  we  had  cut 
down  the  woods,  and  levelled  the  hills.  In  the 
fomier  supposition  they  were  certainly  right;  and 
I  do  not  wonder  at  the  latter,  since  they  would 
naturally  suppose  that  all  the  world  was  like  the 
small  part  of  it  which  tlic}^  had  formerly  seen; 
and  which  is  almost  an  entire  collection  of  hills 
covered  with  thick  woods.  As  they  had  never 
before  seen  an}"  cultivated  land  (exce])t  a  few 
small  gardens,  which  they  oliserved  wei-e  dug  with 
a  s])ade)  they  formed  an  idea  of  oiii-  iuimense 
num})ers,  ])y  being  a])h'  t<»  fill  so  iiiiK-li  laud  and 
consume  the  ])i'oduce  of  it  in  a  yeai';  exclusive  of 
the  animal  fond  with  which  fhev  saw  oui*  tables 
and   markets  abounded.     Tlow  the  inhabilauts  of 


130  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

London  were  supplied  with  food,  I  could  never 
make  them  fully  comprehend,  any  more  than  I 
could  the  number  of  people  by  which  the  metrop- 
olis was  inhabited.  Their  arithmetic  goes  no 
higher  than  the  number  twenty-one;  therefore, 
the  best  I  could  do,  was  to  tell  them,  that  a  certain 
number  of  large  whales  would  serve  them  for  one 
meal  only.  Nothing  surprised  them  more,  than 
to  meet  with  a  man  who  assured  them  he  could 
not  shoot,  had  never  killed  an  animal,  nor  seen 
the  sea  in  his  life. 

After  my  return  to  town,  by  his  Majesty's  per- 
mission, I  took  them  to  Court;  where  their  dresses 
and  behaviour  made  them  greatly  taken  notice  of. 
They  were  also  at  the  houses  of  several  of  the 
nobility  and  people  of  fashion;  and  I  omitted 
nothing,  which  came  within  the  compass  of  my 
pocket,  to  make  their  stay  in  England  agreeable, 
or  to  impress  them  with  ideas  of  our  riches  and 
strength.  The  latter  I  thought  highly  necessary, 
as  they  had  often,  when  in  Labrador,  spoken  of 
our  numbers  with  great  contempt,  and  told  me 
they  were  so  nmnerous,  that  they  could  cut  off  all 
the  English  with  great  ease,  if  they  thought 
proper  to  collect  themselves  together;  an  opinion 
which  could  not  fail  to  produce  in  me  very  un- 
pleasant reflections.  But  they  had  not  been  long 
in  London  before  they  confessed  to  me,  that  the 
Esquimaux  were  but  as  one,  compared  to  that  of 
the  English. 

At  the  same  time,  I  did  not  neglect  to  provide 
everything  that  was  necessary  for  my  return.    I 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  131 

represented  to  the  Earl  of  Dartmouth  (who  was 
then  at  the  head  of  the  board  of  trade  and  planta- 
tions) the  unjust  proceedings  of  Noble  and  Pin- 
son,  in  dispossessing  me  of  my  fishing-posts,  and 
obtained  an  order  for  my  salmon-fishery  in 
Charles  River  to  be  restored;  but  I  could  not  suc- 
ceed with  respect  to  ni}^  sealing-post  near  Cape 
Charles.  I  also  presented  to  his  lordship  a  plan 
for  the  encouragement  of  the  trade  in  Labrador, 
and  was  examined  by  the  board  upon  that  head. 
Their  report  was  laid  before  his  ^lajesty  in  coun- 
cil, and  my  plan  was  partially  adopted. 

The  term  of  my  partnership  with  Perkins  and 
Coghlan  being  expired,  I  dissolved  it,  and  made 
preparation  for  returning  to  Labrador  on  my  own 
bottom;  which  the  liberality  of  my  father  enabk^d 
me  to  do,  by  assisting  me  with  two  thousand 
poimds. 


THE  END  OF  THE  FIRST   VOYAGE. 


132  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 


THE   SECOND   VOYAGE 

May,  1773.  Having  purchased  a  brig  of  eighty 
tons,  and  named  her  the  Lady  Tyrconnel/  I 
shipped  on  board  her  all  such  goods  as  had  been 
provided  in  London;  and  having  ordered  others 
at  Lyinmington,  Weymouth,  and  Waterford,  I 
quitted  my  house  on  the  fifth  of  May,  and  em- 
barked on  board  my  vessel  in  the  river  Thames; 
together  with  Mrs.  Selby,  the  Lidians,  Mr.  John 
Williams,  a  surgeon,  whom  I  had  engaged  to  serve 
me  in  the  capacity  of  clerk  also,  his  wife,  a  maid- 
servant, a  cooper  named  William  Mather,  and  two 
apprentice  boys.  The  command  of  the  vessel  I 
gave  to  Mr.  George  Monday,  late  Master  of  the 
Mary,  in  which  I  returned  from  Labrador;  and  I 
brought  along  with  me  a  brace  of  greyhounds,  a 
terrier,  and  some  tame  rabbits.  A  party  of  friends 
dined  on  board  with  me,  and  we  had  a  merry 
leave-taking. 

Saturday,  May  8,  1773.  Having  now  completed 
all  my  business  in  town,  and  the  wind  being  fair, 
at  two  o'clock  this  afternoon  we  made  sail  down 
the  river;  the  Esquimaux  well  pleased  in  the  ex- 
pectation of  soon  seeing  their  native  country, 
their  relations   and  friends   again;    and  I  very 

*The  name  of  Cartwright's  aunt. 


LABRADOR    JOURX.AL  133 

liapi^y  in  the  prospect  of  carrying  them  back,  ap- 
parently in  perfect  health. 

Tmsdai/,  May  11,  1773.  We  passed  thronoh  the 
Downs  this  evening,  when  1  discharged  the  pilot, 
and  went  to  sea. 

Th  ursday,  May  13, 1773.  The  pleasing  prospects 
which  I  so  lately  had  before  me  were  of  very  short 
duration;  for  this  evening  as  Caubvick  was  going  to 
bed,  she  complained  of  great  sickness  at  her  stom- 
ach, had  a  very  bad  night,  and  daily  grew  worse. 
On  my  arrival  at  L^^nmington  on  the  thirteenth, 
and  consulting  a  surgeon  there,  (for  my  own,  I 
found,  was  utterly  ignorant  of  her  complaint)  he 
declared  her  malady  to  be  the  small-pox:  which 
had  nearly  the  same  effect  on  me,  as  if  he  had  pro- 
nounced my  sentence  of  death.  As  it  was  vain  to 
expect  that  the  rest  should  escape  the  infection, 
medicines  were  immediately  given  to  prepare 
them  for  it;  and  I  thought  it  a  fortunate  circum- 
stance, that  an  opportunity  offered  for  doing  it.^ 

Having  taken  on  board  forty  tons  of  salt,  and 
some  other  goods,  I  sailed  from  thence  on  the 
eighteenth,  and  arrived  in  Weymouth  Roads  a 
few  hours  after.  There  I  received  on  bc^ard  some 
nets  and  other  goods  from  Bridport,  and  had  the 
pleasure  to  find  Caubvick  go  on  as  well  as  pos- 
sible; her  disorder  ])eing  of  the  mild  kind.  I  took 
the  others  out  in  the  boat  every  day,  and  we  went 
to  the  Bill  of  Portland  to  shoot  nnirrs.^ 

On    the    twenty-seco]i(l    (\'iiib\i(k    tni-ncd    the 

*  Vaccination  was  first  prnrtiscd  hy  .Iciiiicr  in  1790. 

*  Miirrc  or  roininon  jiiiillcniol,   I'rin  (roille. 


134  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

height,  and  did  not  appear  to  be  in  the  least  dan- 
ger. At  the  same  time  Ickongoque  began  to  com- 
plain. We  sailed  for  Ireland  on  the  twenty-eighth, 
but  the  wind  taking  us  ahead  when  we  got  off  the 
Bill  of  Portland,  we  put  back  and  anchored  in  Port- 
land Road.    Tooklavinia  now  was  taken  ill. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  twenty- 
nihth,  we  weighed  again,  and  proceeded  down  the 
channel  with  a  fair  wind  and  pleasant  weather; 
still  in  hopes  of  arriving  in  sufficient  time  for  my 
business;  but  at  ten  o'clock,  so  dreadful  a  stench 
pervaded  the  whole  vessel,  all  the  Indians  being 
now  ill,  that  three  of  the  ship's  crew  now  w^ere 
seized  with  a  fever,  and  we  had  reason  to  expect, 
that  a  pestilential  disorder  would  soon  attack  us 
all.  I  therefore  ordered  captain  Monday  to  carry 
the  vessel  into  Plymouth,  although  I  foresaw  that 
measure  would  prove  an  immense  loss  to  me,  by 
the  ruin  of  my  voyage,  and  we  came  to  an  anchor 
in  Catwater  the  next  afternoon  at  two  o'clock.  I 
went  on  shore  immediately,  and  made  a  personal 
application  to  Earl  Cornwallis,  Admiral  Spry,  and 
the  Mayor  of  Plymouth,  for  an  house  to  put  the 
Indians  in,  but  could  not  succeed. 

Monday^  May  31, 1773.  Ickeuna  died  this  morn- 
ing, Caubvick  had  a  violent  fever  on  her,  and  the 
rest  were  extremely  ill.  In  the  evening  I  bar- 
gained for  a  house  at  Stonehouse,  for  two  guineas 
and  a  half  per  week.  At  four  o'clock  the  next 
morning  we  weighed  and  removed  the  vessel  to 
Stonehouse  Pool.  I  got  the  Indians  on  shore  im- 
mediately, and  Ickcongoque  died  that  night. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  135 

Widitcs.,  June  2,  1773.  On  the  second  I  en- 
gaged Dr.  Farr,  the  physician  to  the  Naval  Hos- 
pital, and  Mr.  ^lonier,  an  apothecary  of  Plymouth, 
to  attend  the  Indians;  and,  by  the  doctor's  direc- 
tions, I  removed  the  two  men  into  separate  tents, 
which  I  had  pitched  in  an  adjoining  close.  In  the 
evening  I  went  to  Plj^mouth,  in  order  to  set  off  for 
London,  which  I  did  the  next  morning  at  six 
o'clock,  and  arrived  there  at  two  in  the  afternoon 
of  the  fifth. 

On  the  morning  of  the  sixth  I  waited  on  the 
Earl  of  Dartmouth,  his  Majesty's  Principal  Sec- 
retary of  State  for  America,  and  acquainted  his 
lordship  with  Avhat  had  happened.  And  I  must 
take  this  opportunity  of  gratefully  acknowledg- 
ing the  many  obligations  which  I  had  the  honor 
to  receive  from  his  lordship  upon  this,  as  well  as 
upon  several  other  occasions. 

Thursday,  June  10,  1773.  I  left  London  on  my 
return  to  Plymouth  at  six  o'clock  this  morning, 
and  arrived  at  Stonehouse  on  Saturday  evening. 
I  was  now  informed  that  both  the  men  died  in  the 
night  of  the  third  Instant,  and  that  Caubvick  had 
been  given  over,  but  was  at  length  in  a  fair  way 
of  recovery,  though  reduced  to  a  skeleton,  and 
ti'oul)led  with  a  great  many  large  boils.  She  re- 
covered so  very  slowly,  that  it  was  not  until  the 
fourth  of  July  that  I  durst  venture  to  remove  her, 
when  T  once  more  embarkod  willi  her  and  all  the 
rest  of  my  fainily  Texfcpl  my  maid  whom  I  had 
discharged  foi-  b.id  behaviour)  to  proceed  on  my 
intcndod  voyage. 


136  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

We  sailed  from  Plymoutli  early  in  the  morning 
of  the  fifth,  but  meeting  with  contrary  winds  we 
had  a  tedious  passage  to  Waterford,  for  we  did 
not  arrive  there  till  the  afternoon  of  the  tenth.  It 
was  some  consolation,  however,  to  be  favoured 
with  fine  weather,  and  to  catch  great  plenty  of 
mackarel  every  day. 

My  time  was  taken  up  till  the  sixteenth,  in  pur- 
chasing and  getting  on  board  such  provisions  as  I 
had  occasion  for;  I  also  hired  another  woman- 
servant,  and  on  that  day  I  sailed  for  Labrador. 

As  voyages  across  the  Atlantic  at  this  time  of 
the  year  are  generally  tedious,  by  reason  of  the 
prevalency  of  the  westerly  wind,  I  was  not  sur- 
prised, that  this  proved  longer  than  was  conve- 
nient to  me.  The  w^eather,  in  general,  was  exceed- 
ingly fine,  and  we  caught  plenty  of  fish  of  different 
kinds;  such  as  mackarel,^  a  small  shark,  a  few 
fish  greatly  resembling  tench,  (which  I  killed  with 
an  Esquimau  birding-dart  imder  the  stern)  a  por- 
poise and  a  dolphin.  It  is  not  usual  for  dolphins  ^ 
to  come  so  far  north,  but  we  saw  two,  three 
bonetas  ^  and  a  few  flying-fish  *  in  the  latitude  of 
49°  15',  on  the  twelfth  of  August. 

Caubvick's  hair  falling  off,  and  being  matted 
with  the  small-pox,  I  had  much  difficulty  to  pre- 
vail on  her  to  permit  me  to  cut  it  off,  and  shave 
her  head.    Notwithstanding  I  assured  her  that  the 


'  Scomber  scomheus. 

2  Coryphcpna  hippurus. 

3  Probably  tuna  or  horse-mackerel  Thunnus  thynnus. 
*  Exocoetus  volitans. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  137 

smell  ui'  the  liair  would  eoimuunieate  the  ini'eetion 
to  the  rest  of  her  country  folks  ou  her  return,  yet 
I  was  not  able  to  prevail  on  her  to  consent  to  its 
being  thrown  overboard.  She  angrily  snatched  it 
from  me,  locked  it  up  in  one  of  her  trunks,  and 
never  would  permit  me  to  get  sight  of  it  after- 
wards; flying  into  a  violent  passion  of  anger  and 
grief  whenever  I  mentioned  the  subject,  which  I 
did  almost  every  day,  in  hopes  of  succeeding  at 
last. 

Fridai),  Auyust  27,  1773.  This  evening  at  sun- 
set we  got  sight  of  the  land,  and  judged  oiu'selves 
to  be  nine  or  ten  leagues  from  it;  the  next  morn- 
ing at  day-light  we  found  ourselves  about  three 
leagues  from  Cape  St.  Francis,  and  at  eight 
o'clock  at  night  came  to  an  anchor  in  Charles 
Harbour. 

Sunday,  August  29, 1773.  Early  in  the  morning 
I  went  on  shore  at  Stage  Cove,  and  found  the 
house  locked  up.  I  sent  the  boat  to  the  Lodge, 
and  walked  across  the  Barrens  to  Bare  Point, 
where  I  met  her  again,  with  two  of  my  people  on 
board.  From  them  I  learned  that  they  had  killed 
in  the  winter  as  many  seals  as  produced  twelve 
tuns  of  oil;  and  caught  lifty  tierces  of  salmon  this 
summer.  I  shot  six  curlews,  and  a  grey  plover  * 
in  my  way  thither,  and  returned  to  the  boat. 

Tuf'sda}/,  Auf/ust  31,  1773.  A])out  noon  almost 
the  whole  oi  the  three  southernmost  tribes  of  Es- 
quimaux,   amounting    to    five    hundred    souls    or 

•  Thf  hird  known  in  En>iliinfl  aa  th(!  Krcy  [)lovcr  w  culled  by  Anicriciin 
ornithologists  tho  hlii(;k-belli(;d  plover,  Squatarola  sipialarola. 


138  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

thereabouts,  arrived  from  Chateau  in  twenty-two 
old  English  and  French  boats  (having  heard  of 
my  arrival  from  some  boats  belonging  to  that 
port,  which  returned  from  this  neighborhood  in 
the  night  of  Saturda}^  last)  but  the  wind  did  not 
suit  them  to  come  hither  till  this  morning. 

I  placed  myself  upon  a  rock  near  the  water-side, 
and  Caubvick  sat  down  a  few  paces  behind  me. 
We  waited  for  the  landing  of  the  Indians  with 
feelings  very  different  from  theirs ;  who  were  hur- 
rying along  with  tumultuous  joy  at  the  thoughts 
of  immediately  meeting  their  relations  and 
friends  again.  As  the  shore  would  not  permit 
them  to  land  out  of  their  boats,  they  brought  them 
to  their  anchors  at  a  distance  off,  and  the  men 
came  in  their  kyacks,  each  bringing  two  other 
persons,  lying  flat  on  their  faces;  one  behind  and 
the  other  before,  on  the  top  of  the  skin  covering. 
On  drawing  near  the  shore,  and  perceiving  only 
Caubvick  and  myself,  their  joy  abated,  and  their 
countenances  assumed  a  different  aspect.  Being 
landed,  they  fixed  their  eyes  on  Caubvick  and  me, 
in  profound,  gloomy  silence.  At  length,  with 
great  perturbation  and  in  faltering  accents,  they 
enquired,  separately,  what  was  become  of  the  rest; 
and  were  no  sooner  given  to  understand,  by  a 
silent,  sorrowful  shake  of  my  head,  that  they  were 
no  more,  than  they  instantly  set  up  such  a  yell,  as  I 
had  never  before  heard.  Many  of  them,  but  par- 
ticularly the  women,  snatched  up  stones,  and  beat 
themselves  on  the  head  and  face  till  they  became 
shocking   spectacles;   one   pretty  young   girl    (a 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  139 

sister  to  the  late  two  men)  gave  herself  so  severe 
a  blow  iipou  the  oheek-boue,  that  she  bruised  and 
cut  the  flesh  shockingly,  and  almost  beat  an  eye 
out.  In  short,  the  violent,  frantic  expressions  of 
grief  were  such,  as  far  exceeded  my  imagination; 
and  I  could  not  help  participating  with  them  so 
far,  as  to  shed  tears  most  plentifull3\  Tliey  no 
sooner  observed  my  emotion,  than,  mistaking  it 
for  the  apprehensions  which  I  was  under  for  fear 
of  their  resentment,  they  instantly  seemed  to  for- 
get their  own  feelings,  to  relieve  those  of  mine. 
They  pressed  round  me,  clasped  my  hands,  and 
said  and  did  all  in  their  power  to  convince  me, 
that  they  did  not  entertain  any  suspicion  of  my 
conduct  towards  their  departed  friends.  As  soon 
as  the  first  violent  transports  of  grief  began  to 
subside,  I  related  the  melancholy  tale,  and  ex- 
plained to  them,  as  well  as  I  could,  the  disorder 
b}'  which  the}^  were  carried  off;  and  pointed  to 
Caubvick,  who  bore  very  strong,  as  well  as  recent, 
marks  of  it.  They  often  looked  very  attentively 
at  her,  but,  during  the  whole  time,  they  never 
spoke  one  word  to  her,  nor  she  to  them.  As  soon 
as  I  had  brought  the  afflicting  story  to  a  conclu- 
sion, they  assured  me  of  their  belief  of  every  par- 
ticular, and  renewed  their  declarations  of  friend- 
ship. Their  stay  afterwards  was  ])ut  short;  they 
presently  reimbai-ked,  weighed  tlicir  ancliors,  and 
ran  across  the  harbour  to  Raft  M^icklr,  where  they 
landed  ,-iii(]  encampc*!:  Ihc  i-<'sl  of  ilic  nncniooii 
and  Hie  whole  of  the  ni.uld  was  spent  in  hori-id 
veilings,  which  wei'c  considerably  augmented  by 


140  CAPTAIN   CART  WEIGHT'S 

the  variety  of  echoes,  produced  from  the  multi- 
plicity of  hills  surrounding  the  harbour,  till  the 
whole  rung  again  with  sounds  that  almost  pet- 
rified the  blood  of  the  brig's  crew  and  my  new 
servants. 

Wednes.,  September  1,  1773.  I  sent  three  In- 
dian shallops  up  the  river  for  wood.  My  people 
were  at  work  on  the  platform.  At  noon  I  sailed 
for  Chateau  in  an  Indian  shallop;  but  the  wind 
shifting  I  turned  back.  I  then  visited  the  Indians 
at  their  Camp;  they  received  me  very  well,  but 
not  with  that  lively  joy  they  were  wont;  the  late 
melancholy  news  having  spread  an  universal  sor- 
row throughout  the  tents.  They  took  great  pains 
to  assure  me,  that  they  still  continued  their  friend- 
ship for  me,  and  desired  I  would  not  be  under 
any  apprehensions  on  account  of  what  had 
happened.  In  the  evening  all  the  shallops  re- 
turned with  wood.  I  killed  a  black-duck  and  a 
curlew. 

I  found  Caubvick  along  with  this  [Eskimo] 
family,  and  wondered  at  her  taking  so  cordially 
to  her  former  way  of  living,  after  the  comfort  and 
luxury  to  which  she  had  lately  been  used,  and 
which  she  seemed  most  heartily  to  enjoy.  Twee- 
gock,  the  girl  whom  I  had  bought,  and  Caubvick 
came  along  with  me  in  the  shallop. 

Thursdmi,  September  16,  1773.  Having  found, 
by  a  variety  of  instances,  that  Shuglawina,  the 
chief  of  these  tribes,  is  not  only  a  man  of  superior 
understanding,  but  also  one  whose  fidelity  and 
honesty  may  be  relied  on,  I  made  him  up  a  small 


LxVBRADOR    JOURNAL  141 

cargo  of  goods  to  take  home  with  him;  and  deter- 
mined that  he  should  go  to  the  northward  next 
smiimer,  to  trade  with  the  whaling  tribes  of  his 
nation;  for  I  miderstand  that  the  southern  In- 
dians never  kill  any  whales/  but  either  purchase 
whalebone  from  the  northern  tribes,  or  cut  it  out 
of  a  dead  whale  when  they  chance  to  meet  with 
one,  which  often  happens. 

The  Indians  being  all  assembled  now,  and  the 
wind  fair,  the  whole  fleet  sailed  to-day  for  their 
respective  settlements;  and  we  parted  on  the 
most  friendl}^  terms. 

Tuesday,  September  28,  1773.  Being  in  a  con- 
tinual hurry  of  business  and  much  perplexity,  by 
reason  of  my  distressed  situation,  I  have  ne- 
glected to  keep  a  regular  journal. 

This  morning  I  took  a  walk  upon  the  hills  to 
the  westward,  and  killed  seven  brace  of  grouse.- 
These  birds  are  exactly  the  same  with  those  of 
the  same  name  in  Europe,  save  only  in  the  colour 
of  their  feathers,  which  are  speckled  with  white 
in  summer,  and  perfectly  white  in  wintei*,  (four- 

'  There  are  five  species  of  large  whales  refj;ularly  found  on  (ho  Labrador 
coast  at  the  present  time  besides  several  smaller  whales  or  porpoises. 
The  five  large  whales  are:  sulphur-bottom,  Bnlnmoplcrn  mitsnilm^;  fin- 
back, B.  physaliis ;  pike-headed,  B.  ncutoroslrala ;  pollack,  B.  bnrenlis 
hump-backed,  Megaplera  nodosa.  The  southern  right  whale,  Bnlnena 
ghirinlvi,  is  now  extirpated  in  that  region  owing  to  the  efforts  of  the  R:isque 
fishermen  from  tho  Ifith  to  the  end  of  the  ISth  centuries.  It  was  probably 
rare  in  Cartwright's  time,  although  common  earlior.  The  pjM'nn  whale, 
PhyKf'ta  mnrrori phdluH ,  is  a  more  southern  sjK'cics,  but  occasionally  wan- 
ders to  the  Labrador  co;u;t. 

'  Willow  ptarmigan,  Ldf/op^iK  lafjnpitK,  also  found  in  iMirope  Hn<l  .Vsi.-i. 
The  red  grouse  of  Gniat  Britain,  Ijugoprvi  Smlicu-s,  dues  not  turn  white 
in  winter. 


142  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

teen  black  ones  in  the  tail  excepted)  which  always 
remain  the  same. 

When  I  was  in  England,*  Mr.  Banks,  Doctor 
Solander,  and  several  other  naturalists  having 
enquired  of  me,  respecting  the  manner  of  these 
birds  changing  colour,  I  took  particular  notice  of 
those  I  killed,  and  can  aver,  for  a  fact,  that  they 
get  at  this  time  of  the  year  a  very  large  addition 
of  feathers,  all  of  which  are  white;  and  that  the 
coloured  feathers  at  the  same  time  change  to 
white.  In  spring,  most  of  the  white  feathers  drop 
off,  and  are  succeeded  by  coloured  ones:  or,  I 
rather  believe,  all  the  white  ones  drop  off,  and 
that  they  get  an  entirely  new  set.^  At  the  two 
seasons  they  change  very  differently;  in  the 
spring,  beginning  at  the  neck,  and  spreading  from 
thence;  now,  they  begin  on  the  belly,  and  end  at 
the  neck.  There  are  also  ptharmagans  in  this 
country,  w^hich  are  in  all  respects,  the  same  as 
those  I  have  killed  on  some  high  mountains  in 
Scotland.^ 

Wednes.,  October  6,  1773,  [At  White  Cove] 
I  killed  a  brace  of  spruce-game  with  my  rifle,  and 
a  diver  with  shot;  and  one  of  my  people  killed  a 

*  Now  Sir  Joseph  Banks.* 

1  An  English  naturaUst  and  patron  of  science.  He  equipped  the  En- 
deavour, and  accompanied  Cook's  first  expedition  1768-71,  visited  Iceland 
in  1772  and  was  president  of  the  Royal  Society  from  1778  to  1820. 

2  This  latter  view  is  the  one  generally  accepted  today,  especially  by 
most  American  ornithologists,  who  have  discarded  the  view  that  the 
colour  of  the  mature  feather  changes. 

^  The  ptarmigan  found  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland  is  Lagopris  wvfiis, 
and  turns  white  in  winter.  The  American  bird  he  v^evR  to  is  the  rock 
ptarmigan,   Lagopus  rupestris. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  143 

pair  uf  pied-birds/  which  afforded  us  an  excellent 
supper,  or  we  must  have  fasted. 

Sunday,  October  10, 1773.  Li  the  nioriiing  I  got 
some  thiugs  into  the  boat  and  went  up  to  the 
Lodge,  where  I  found  all  well,  except  that  my 
maid-servant  had  run  away  with  John  Temple- 
ton,  (Noble  and  Pinson's  head-man)  and  that  the^ 
Indian  man  (my  slave  girl's  father)  Avas  dead, 
and  had  left  me  a  legacy  of  two  wives  and  three 
children.  This  man  sailed  in  a  bait-skiff  (which 
was  the  price  of  his  daughter)  along  with  the  rest 
of  his  covmtrymen;  but  meeting  Avith  a  severe  gale 
of  wind,  he  soon  after  parted  from  them,  lost  his 
kyack,  and  was  near  losing  himself  and  all  his 
family.  This  disaster  caused  him  to  return,  and 
to  beg  I  would  permit  him  to  winter  near  my  seal- 
ing-post.  I  foresaw  that  great  inconvenience  and 
expense  would  be  the  consequence  of  permitting 
him  to  become  so  near  a  neighbour;  but  as  I  was 
well  aware  that  they  must  all  perish  if  I  refused, 
humanity  would  not  suffer  me  to  give  him  a 
denial.  This  was  the  first  night  I  slept  at  home 
since  my  arrival  upon  the  coast,  and  my  bed  was 
now  laid  upon  the  floor;  but  even  that  was  luxury, 
having  seldom  had  my  clothes  off  these  six  weeks 
past,  and  constantly  slept  before  the  fire. 

Mondaji,  Novcwher  7,  1773.  The  brig  not  being 
yet  returned  from  Quebec,  and  the  season  so  far 
advanced,  this  day  we  went  to  short  allowance  for 


'  See  note  on  piorl-Hurk.  It  is  poflsiblo  ho  refers  here  to  the  oyster- 
eatrher,  H  fswalopus  pnlHatus,  now  cxf  irpiit('<l  from  Lal)rador,  hut 
commoD  when  Audubon  waa  there  in  1833. 


144  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

the  winter,  viz.  fourteen  pounds  of  flour,  three 
pounds  of  rice,  four  pounds  and  a  half  of  bread, 
and  three  quarts  of  peas  per  week,  for  nine  people ; 
as  for  meat,  we  have  plenty. 

Tuesday,  November  9,  1773.  To  my  inexpres- 
sible comfort,  this  day  a  boat  came  up  here  and 
informed  me  that  the  brig  was  returned  from 
Quebec,  and  had  brought  me  all  I  wrote  for. 

Thursday,  November  11, 1773.  After  a  famine 
comes  a  feast.  Yesterday  I  had  scarcely  enough 
to  live  on;  today  w^e  abound  in  luxuries.  I  have 
now,  not  only  great  plenty  of  dry  provisions,  but 
also  two  sheep,  several  turkies,  geese,  ducks  and 
fowls;  also  potatoes,  cabbages,  carrots,  onions 
and  apples. 

Tuesday,  November  16,  1773.  I  went  round  my 
traps  and  had  one  marten.  In  the  evening  my 
slave  girl  ran  away;  I  pursued  her  by  her  foot- 
steps in  the  snow  on  this  side  of  the  river,  to  the 
Narrows:  night  then  coming  on  I  returned, 
knowing  she  could  not  cross  it  below. 

Wednes.,  November  17,  1773.  Early  in  the 
morning  I  crossed  the  river  in  search  of  the  girl, 
and  found  the  marks  of  her  feet  where  she  had 
crossed  the  ice,  a  little  below  the  house,  and 
tracked  her  below  the  Narrows;  where  I  met  a 
skiff,  coming  up  from  the  sealing-post,  w^ith  her 
on  board.  She  arrived  late  last  night  at  her 
mother's  house.  This  boat  brought  some  more 
boards,  and  two  casks  of  corn  for  the  poultry; 
likewise  a  letter  from  captain  Monday,  inform- 
ing me  that  the  vessel  was  ready  for  sea. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  145 

Friday,  Xoi'e)nber  19,  1773.  After  breakfast  I 
went  down  in  the  boat  to  Stage  Cove,  and  there 
had  the  satisfaction  to  find  almost  all  the  sealing- 
craft  in  order,  and  fonr  nets  out;  I  hauled  them, 
but  had  nothing.  At  night  I  slept  on  board  the 
Lady  Tyreoimel. 

Moderate  frosty  weather. 

Saturdaij,  Novenihcr  20, 1773.  We  unmoored  at 
nine  this  morning,  hauled  out  of  the  cove,  and 
weighed  the  anchor;  when  we  found  the  sails  so 
hard  frozen,  that  it  was  with  great  difficulty  we 
got  them  loose.  We  ran  out  of  the  harbour 
through  Enterprize  Tickle,  and  got  to  sea.  I 
brought  away  Noozelliack,  a  boy  about  twelve 
years  of  age;  part  of  the  old  man's  legacy. 

It  froze  exceedingly  hard  last  night,  and  this 
morning  proved  clear  and  fine;  but  at  noon  it  be- 
gan to  snow  fast,  and  continued  till  after  dark. 
The  sides  of  the  vessel  were  a  foot  thick  of  ice,  all 
round  near  the  water  edge,  and  every  rope  was 
quite  stiff  with  frost. 

Tuesday,  Novemher  23,  1773.  I  had  hitherto 
intended  going  to  St.  John's  in  Newfoundland,  to 
try  to  get  a  freight  for  the  vessel,  she  having  only 
eleven  tons  of  seal-oil  and  a  few  furs  on  Itoard; 
but  the  wind  being  directly  against  us,  and  the 
season  far  spent,  this  morning  I  ordered  the  mas- 
ter to  bcai-  away  for  England. 

Tt  was  not  until  io-day  lliat  the  ice  fell  off  our 
sides,  and  the  ropes  gi-ew  limber. 

The  passage  was  extremely  line,  considering 
the  thne  of  the  year;  for  we  had  a  continued  fair, 


146  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

moderate  wind,  with  good  weather  till  we  got  iuto 
soundings,  which  was  on  the  fifth  of  December, 
w^hen  the  wind  came  to  the  eastward.  On  the 
sixth  came  on  a  smart  gale,  which  continued  all 
the  next  day,  and  reduced  us  to  our  courses.  At 
night  we  were  so  near  being  run  down  by  a  stout 
snow,  that  our  jib-boom  touched  her  tafferel  as 
she  passed  us;  for  she  had  mistaken  the  tack 
which  we  were  upon.  The  wind  came  round  again 
on  the  tenth,  and  we  got  sight  of  Scilly  that  morn- 
ing. We  saw  the  Lizard  in  the  afternoon,  got  into 
the  Downs  on  the  night  of  the  twelfth,  and  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  fourteenth  came  to  an  anchor  at 
Cherry  Garden  Stairs.  I  landed  immediately,  and 
hastened  to  George's  Coffee-house,  where  I  aston- 
ished several  of  my  old  friends,  by  the  great  quan- 
tity of  beef-steakes  which  I  ate  to  my  dinner;  for 
I  had  not  had  one  good  meal  since  I  left  Ranger 
Lodge. 

Fearing  lest  Noozelliack  should  take  the  small 
pox  in  the  natural  way,  I  determined  to  have  him 
inoculated.^  For  this  purpose  I  went  to  Knights- 
bridge  the  next  morning,  and  waited  on  Mr.  Sut- 
ton; to  whom  I  told  what  had  happened  to  those 
Indians  I  was  carrying  back  in  the  spring,  and 
desired  him  to  receive  the  boy  into  his  own  house 
and  take  all  possible  care  of  him;  which  he  readily 
consented  to  do.  I  left  the  boy  with  Mr.  Sutton 
on  the  seventeenth,  and  when  he  thought  he  had 

'  Inoculation  for  smallpox  was  introduced  In  Europe  from  the  East 
by  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montagu,  and  was  first  performed  in  London 
in  1721.     About  1800  it  was  superseded  by  vaccination. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  147 

sufficiently  prepared  him,  he  introduced  the  in- 
fection. The  disease  appeared  in  due  time,  but  he 
died  in  three  days  after;  so  fatal  is  that  disorder 
to  this  race  of  mortals! 

This  was  a  very  great  mortification  and  disap- 
pointment to  me;  for,  as  I  intended,  at  a  future 
period,  to  have  visited  all  the  northern  tribes  of 
Esqumiaux,  I  had  brought  home  this  boy,  in  order 
to  put  him  to  school  to  be  instructed  in  the  Eng- 
lish language;  intending  him  for  my  interpreter. 
Through  him  I  should  have  been  enabled  to  have 
gained  full  information  of  their  religion,  customs 
and  manners.  At  the  same  time,  I  should  have 
improved  myself  in  their  language,  my  dealings 
with  his  countrymen  w^ould  have  been  greatly 
facilitated,  and  I  should  have  acquired  much 
knowledge  of  the  northern  parts  of  the  coast. 


THE  END  OF  THE  SECOND  VOYAGE,  AND  FIRST  VOLUME. 


148  CAPTAIN    CAETWRIGHT'S 


THE    THIRD   VOYAGE 

December,  1773.  Soon  after  my  arrival  in  town, 
I  entered  into  a  partnership  with  captain  Robert 
Scott,  late  commander  of  the  Speaker  East  India- 
man,  and  Mr.  John  Scott,  his  younger  brother, 
who  had  been  his  fourth  mate  on  board  the  said 
ship.  They  were  jointly  to  have  one  half  of  the 
trade,  and  I  the  other.  My  vessel  and  stock  were 
to  be  received  at  a  valuation  of  two  thousand 
pounds,  and  they  were  to  furnish  an  equal  sum 
in  cash.  We  appointed  Mr.  Robert  Hunter,  mer- 
chant in  London,  our  factor,  and  ordered  him  to 
purchase  another  vessel  for  us,  and  provide  such 
goods  as  I  judged  we  should  want. 

Mr.  Hunter  having  purchased  an  American- 
built  ship  for  us,  almost  new,  of  two  hundred  and 
thirty  tons  burthen;  we  named  her  the  Earl  of 
Dartmouth,  gave  the  command  of  her  to  Mr.  John 
Dykes ,  fitted  her  for  sea,  and  on  the  tenth  of 
March  she  sailed  for  Cadiz,  to  take  in  a  freight  of 
wines  for  Mr.  Adam  Lymburner  of  Quebec. 
There  she  was  to  procure  bread,  flour,  planks, 
boards,  hogshead  and  tierce  packs,  hoops,  and 
such  other  articles  as  were  cheaper,  in  general,  at 
that  place  than  in  Enp:land,  and  carry  them  to 
Charles  Harbour  for  the  use  of  the  Company.    Mr, 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  149 

Joliu  »Seott  sailed  iu  lier  in  quality  of  super- 
cargo. 

Captain  Monday  having  misbehaved  himself 
greatly,  in  several  instances,  during  the  course  of 
my  last  voyage,  I  discharged  hun,  and  gave  the 
conmiand  of  the  Lady  Tyrconnel  to  Mr.  Thomas 
Venture.  That  vessel  having  taken  on  board  all 
such  things  as  had  been  provided  m  London, 
sailed  on  the  twenty-third  of  March  for  Ply- 
mouth; where  she  was  to  receive  several  other 
goods.  Captain  Scott  embarked;  as  did  also  Mr. 
James  Pitkethle}-,  whom  we  had  hired  to  serve  us 
in  the  double  capacity  of  surgeon  and  clerk,  in  the 
place  of  Mr.  Williams.  I  was  to  go  by  land  to 
Poole  and  Bridport,  and  meet  the  vessel  at 
Plymouth. 

I  left  London  the  next  day,  and  arrived  at 
Plymouth  on  the  second  of  April,  where  I  found 
the  vessel  safe  moored. 

HaAdng  shipped  off  all  our  goods,  and  hired  a 
joiner,  two  men,  and  a  couple  of  women  servants, 
we  sailed  at  six  in  the  morning  of  the  thirteenth 
for  Waterford  or  Cork;  as  the  wind  might  best 
suit. 

Tlie  wind  ])eing  fair  and  a  fine  gale,  we  ran 
down  the  Chaimel  at  the  rate  of  sev(Mi  knots.  At 
three  in  the  afternoon,  captain  Venture,  l)eing  em- 
]»l()y('d  in  the  cabin  in  pi'cp.-iring  some  tackle  for 
trout  on  his  ai-rival  in  Labrador,  did  not  pay 
])roper  attention  lo  the  coni-sc  of  Ihe  vessel;  in 
eonsequenr-e  of  which  she  i':in  upon  tliat  well- 
known  rock  called   iiiiiidlcsloiic,  wlndi  lies  about 


150  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

four  miles  southward  of  the  Land's  End.  She  in- 
stantly stopped,  and  we  immediately  saw  many 
splinters  from  her  bottom,  floating  on  the  surface 
of  the  water.  In  a  few  minutes  she  went  on  again, 
and  we  tried  the  pumps  continually,  but  she  made 
no  water;  this  surprised  us  greatly,  for  the  shock 
was  a  severe  one.  It  blew  fresh  all  night,  and  the 
tide  out  of  the  Irish  and  Bristol  Channels,  having 
set  us  farther  to  leeward  than  we  had  supposed 
it  would;  the  next  morning  we  found  ourselves 
far  to  leeward  of  Waterford,  and  therefore  bore 
up  for  Cork,  where  we  anchored  at  eight  in  the 
evening  near  the  village  of  Cove. 

On  the  twenty-eighth  we  began  to  unload  the 
vessel.  The  goods  were  obliged  to  be  sent  up  to 
Cork,  and  stored  under  the  care  of  a  custom-house 
officer.  We  then  had  a  regular  survey  on  the  ves- 
sel, when  it  was  discovered,  that  eight  of  her  floor 
timbers  on  one  side,  and  six  on  the  other  were 
snapped  short  off.  In  consequence  of  which,  and 
the  other  damages  together,  she  was  condemned 
as  unfit  to  proceed  on  her  voyage. 

On  the  thirtieth  we  purchased  a  new  brig,  built 
at  Cork,  but  the  inside  work  was  not  quite  fin- 
ished; the  burthen  was  one  hundred  and  thirty 
tons,  and  name,  Success. 

The  Lady  Tyrconnel  being  thrown  upon  the 
hands  of  her  underwriters,  it  was  necessary  that 
captain  Yentfire  should  remain  to  take  care  of 
her.  We  therefore  appointed  Mr.  John  Lafoyle, 
late  mate  of  the  above  vessel,  and  formerly  boat- 
swain of  the  Speaker,  to  be  master  of  the  Success; 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  151 

but  did  nut  provide  any  mate  under  him,  as  cap- 
tain Scott  undertook,  in  fact,  to  conmiand  the 
vessel.  AVe  began  to  reship  the  goods  on  the  fifth 
of  May,  and  having  completed  every  thing  by  the 
twelfth,  Ave  cleared  out  of  the  custom-house,  and 
in  the  afternoon  warped  down  the  river  as  low  as 
Marshwall  End. 

The  tide  serving  in  the  morning  of  the  four- 
teenth, we  worked  down  to  Cove,  where  the  blun- 
dering pilot  ran  the  brig  aground  upon  the  spit; 
she  tloatcd  off  again  with  the  flood,  and  received 
no  damage. 

In  working  down  the  river,  the  people  observed 
a  countrj^-man  going  to  Cork  to  sell  milk,  which 
he  carried  in  a  couple  of  churns  slung,  one  on  each 
side  of  his  horse.  We  l)eing  then  very  near  the 
shore,  some  of  them  began  to  banter  him,  which 
put  him  out  of  temjocr,  and  he  retorted  Avith  some 
warmth.  At  that  instant  the  vessel  was  put  in 
stays;  when  the  shivering  of  the  sails,  and  the 
noise  which  the  crew  made  in  bracing  them  about, 
so  affrighted  Hie  lioi'sc  Hint  he  threw  his  rider 
and  galloped  ()\'\'\  spilling  the  milk  all  the  way 
he  wenl.  A  loud  laugh  immediately  broke  out 
from  the  w  hole  crew,  aceom])aiiied  l)y  nuiiiy  taunt- 
ing speeches,  which,  together  with  llic  bruise  he 
had  reeei\('d,  and  the  loss  of  liis  milk,  so  exas- 
perated poor  Paddy,  that  he  instantly  stripped 
into  buff,  ndvanced  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  and 
flourished  his  flsts  about  in  a  nicnncing  niannei': 
thus  he  vented  his  anger,  both  b\  woids  and  ges- 
tures, till  we  wcj-e  too  {':[]'  (AT  io  lic;ir  liis  \()i('e. 


152  CAPTAIN    CART  WEIGHT'S 

We  had  the  pleasure  to  find  our  new  vessel  sail 
well;  and  nothing  remarkable  occurred  till  the 
thirty-first.  There  being  then  a  great  head  swell, 
occasioned  by  preceding  strong  gales  at  west;  at 
one  in  the  afternoon  we  had  the  misfortune  to 
carry  away  our  main-mast,  eight  feet  above  the 
deck;  the  fall  of  which  carried  away  also  the 
boom,  larboard  cat-head,  bumpkin  and  rail  in  the 
waist;  together  with  both  top-masts,  and  the 
main-top  gallant  mast.  Unfortunately,  two  good 
seamen  were  aloft  at  the  time,  both  of  whom  were 
saved,  but  very  much  bruised;  particularly  one 
of  them.  By  ten  at  night  we  had  got  all  the  wreck 
on  board,  and  found  neither  yards  nor  sails  dam- 
aged. We  laid  the  vessel  to  under  the  fore-sail, 
and  the  rest  went  to  sleep,  while  Pitkethly  and  I 
kept  the  watch  all  night.  As  there  was  but  little 
wind  she  rolled,  gunwale  to,  incessantly;  and  I 
often  thought  she  would  have  turned  bottom  up; 
for  she  is  well  built  for  that  work,  and  is  the  most 
uneasy  vessel  in  a  sea  that  I  ever  sailed  in.  She 
is  also  of  true  Hibernian  fabric,  having  a  pine 
bottom,  and  oak  upper  works. 

By  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  second  of 
June,  we  had  got  up  jury-masts,  such  as  they 
were,  and  then  made  sail  again. 

Saturday,  June  4,  1774.  By  an  observation  of 
the  sun  and  moon,  we  found  our  longitude  to  be 
36°  24'  west  from  London.  We  saw  a  gannet;^ 
a  bird  which  is  seldom  seen  out  of  soundings;  and 
many  sailors  affirm  that  it  never  is,  but  they  are 

*  Gannet  or  Solan  goose,  Sula  bassana. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  153 

mistaken.  This  day  we  had  another  misfortune: 
we  brought  two  sows  big  with  \ng  from  Ireland, 
under  the  assurance  that  they  would  not  pig  in 
less  than  six  weeks,  but  one  of  them  brought  forth 
today.  Beino-  the  anniversary  of  the  Kinef's  birth- 
day,  captain  Scott  and  myself  drank  an  extra  bot- 
tle to  his  ]\Lajesty's  health,  and  gave  our  people 
some  rum,  that  they  might  do  the  same. 

Friday,  June  10,  1774.  Tliis  day  we  saw  the 
first  penguin  and  several  bulls.^  Longitude  per  ac- 
count corrected  from  the  last  observation  48°  42'. 
We  have  had  hard  gales  with  a  great  sea  for  this 
Aveek  i^ast,  which  made  the  vessel  labour  prodi- 
giously. 

Tuesday,  June  14,  1774.  At  four  o'clock  this 
morning  we  saw^  the  island  of  Belle  Isle  bearing- 
West  North  West,  distance  five  leagues.  At  five 
we  saw  the  land  of  Drifty  ^Mountains,  Cape 
Charles,  and  Cape  St.  Lewis;  and,  continuing  our 
course  we  ran  directly  into  Charles  Harbour, 
where  w^e  anchored  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
liy  wliich  we  found  tlie  obsei'vatioii  ti'U(^  within 
four  (»r  five  miles;  an  exactness  very  sufficient 
for  every  ]iur])nse.  At  three  I  went  up  to  the 
Lodge  in  a  ski  if,  and  found  all  my  ])eo])le  well, 
excepting  one  man  wlio  had  lost  his  loos  ])y  the 
frost  in  ^lay  last;  and  bad  llic  nioi'lilicnjion  to 
hear,  thai  Ihci-e  was  a  genci-al  failure  of  seals  last 
season. 

[On  June  2^,  1771,  ''  our  new  dwell  in  u-house  " 
at  Stage  Cove,  on  the  poini  of  land  on  the  north 

'  Dovekiea  or  littln  auks,  AUc  alle. 


154  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

side  of  White  Bear  Bay  was  begun  and  on  July 
14th  he  says:  "  All  the  shoremen  were  employed 
on  the  dwelling-house,  and  the  bricklayer  began 
the  kitchen  chimney."] 

Saturday,  August  27,  1774.  Our  new  house  be- 
ing now  habitable,  we  took  possession  of  it  to-day. 
It  is  seventy  feet  by  twenty-five,  and  contains  a 
kitchen  twenty-four  feet  square,  a  dining  room 
twenty-four  by  sixteen,  six  bed-rooms  and  a  small 
passage,  being  only  a  ground  floor;  which  I  pre- 
ferred, for  fear  of  fire.^ 

Saturday,  September  3,  1774.  The  Otter  sailed 
under  the  command  of  captain  Dykes,  with  a 
cooper's  crew,  consisting  of  tw^o  coopers,  and  two 
young  men,  for  Alexis  River,  where  they  are  to 
make  hoops  during  the  winter.  From  thence  she 
is  to  proceed  to  Sandwich  Bay  with  Joseph 
Friend,  a  youngster,  and  an  apprentice,  where 
they  are  to  remain  during  the  winter,  to  kill  furs; 
and  in  the  spring,  to  prepare  for  a  sahnon-fish- 
ery. 

Saturday,  October  1,  1774.  In  the  morning  I 
sent  two  hands  to  look  at  the  traps  by  Atkinson 
Pond:  one  of  the  small  ones  was  carried  away  by 
a  bear:  they  killed  a  pair  of  ladies  and  an  aunt- 
sary.  At  one  o'clock  this  afternoon,  I  married 
William  Bettres  to  Catharine  Gourd  (one  of  the 
maid-servants  whom  we  brought  from  Plymouth; 
the  other  returned  with  captain  Scott.)     The  re- 

^  On  July  30,  1906  I  traced  the  faint  remains  of  the  ruins  of  this  house, 
and  satisfied  myself  by  measurements  of  its  identity.  See  "  Along  the 
Labrador  Coast,"  pp.  217-220. 


LABRADOK    JOURNAL  155 

inainder  of  the  day  was  spent  by  all  the  servants 
in  great  festivity. 

Tuesday,  October  18,  1774.  The  man  whom  I 
sent  yesterday  for  the  trap,  found  his  way  back 
at  noon;  he  had  lost  himself,  although  the  dis- 
tance is  not  more  than  two  miles,  and  no  wood  so 
high  as  his  head  all  the  way.  I  gaAc  him  a  severe 
beating,  to  cause  him  to  take  more  care  in  future 
than  rim  the  risk  of  losing  his  life  through  stu- 
pidity and  carelessness.  At  the  same  time  I  in- 
structed him  in  unerring  rules  how^  to  find  his  way 
home,  should  he  ever  be  bewildered  hereafter. 

[The  winter  passed  uneventfully  in  the  usual 
occupations  of  trapping  and  shooting.] 

Sunday,  April  2, 1775.  At  six  o'clock  this  morn- 
ing, I  set  off  for  Port  Marnham  on  a  deer-shooting 
party,  taking  Indian  Jack,  with  our  provisions 
and  necessaries,  upon  my  Esquimau  sled,  draw^n 
by  a  couple  of  blood-hounds  and  a  Newfoimdland 
dog. 

Monday,  April  3,  1775.  Early  in  the  morning, 
I  ordered  the  Indian  boy  home,  w^th  the  sled  and 
dogs;  but  the  bad  weather  which  soon  came  on, 
caused  him  to  return.  I  w^ent  up  Porcupine  Hill 
and  traversed  about  there  till  the  weather  drove 
me  back  again.  I  killed  an  old  porcupine  big  with 
young,  ready  to  bring  forth.  I  do  not  know  how 
many  these  creatures  have  at  n  birlli:  but  imagine 
they  are  not  very  prolific:  for  if  they  were,  they 
would  destroy  all  the  trees  iji  the  country,  as  they 
feed  on  nothing  but  the  rinds  ^  the  whole  winter, 

^  Bark   of  trees. 


156  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

and  by  so  doing  kill  a  prodigious  number  of  trees 
of  all  sorts;  thougb  they  prefer  the  silver-fir  to 
all  others.  In  spring,  they  are  very  fond  of  the 
leaves  of  the  larch,  and  in  the  autumn,  they  eat 
a  bad  species  of  mushrooms,  which  grow  here  in 
tolerable  plenty.  This  creature  is  a  good  deal  like 
the  beaver,  in  size  and  shape;  the  only  difference 
is  in  the  tail  and  feet.  They  both  sit  up,  and  make 
use  of  their  fore  feet  to  feed  themselves  Avith. 
The  porcupine  readily  climbs  trees,  for  which  pur- 
pose he  is  furnished  with  very  long  claws;  and, 
in  winter,  when  he  mounts  into  a  tree,  I  believe 
he  does  not  come  down  till  he  has  eaten  the  bark 
from  the  bottom  to  the  top.  He  generally  makes 
his  course  through  a  wood,  in  a  straight  direction; 
seldom  missing  a  tree,  unless  such  as  are  old.  He 
loves  the  young  ones  best,  and  devours  so  much, 
eating  onl}^  the  inner  part  of  the  rind,  that  I  have 
frequently  known  one  porcupine  ruin  near  a  hun- 
dred trees  in  a  winter.  A  man  who  is  acquainted 
with  the  nature  of  these  animals,  will  seldom  miss 
finding  them  when  the  snow  is  on  the  ground,  if 
he  can  but  hit  upon  the  rinding  of  that  winter; 
by  making  a  circuit  round  the  barked  trees,  he 
will  soon  come  upon  his  track,  unless  a  very  deep 
snow  should  chance  to  fall  after  his  last  ascent. 
Having  once  discovered  that,  he  will  not  be  long, 
ere  he  find  the  animal.  The  belly  of  a  porcupine 
is  covered  with  coarse  fur,  but  all  the  rest  of  him, 
with  sharp  prickles;  the  longest  and  strongest 
of  which  are  on  his  rump  and  tail.  It  is  a  received 
opinion,  that  a  porcupine  can  dart  his  quills  at 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  157 

pleasure  iuto  a  distant  objert;  l)ut,  1  venture  to 
affirm  that  this  species  cannot  (whateA'er  any 
other  may  do)  for  I  have  taken  nuieh  pains  to 
ascertain  the  fact.^  On  the  approach  of  danger, 
he  retreats  into  a  hole,  if  possil)le;  but  where  he 
cannot  tind  one,  he  seizes  upon  the  best  shelter 
that  offers,  sinks  his  nose  between  his  fore  legs, 
and  defends  himself  by  a  sharp  stroke  of  his  tail, 
or  a  sudden  jerk  of  his  back.  As  the  quills  are 
bearded  at  their  points,  and  not  deeply  rooted  in 
the  skin,  they  stick  firmly  into  whatever  they 
penetrate.  Great  care  should  be  taken  to  extract 
them  inmiediately ;  otherwise,  by  the  muscular 
motion  of  the  animal  into  which  they  are  stnick, 
enforced  by  the  beards  of  the  quills,  they  soon 
work  themselves  quite  through  the  part;  but  I 
never  perceived  the  puncture  to  be  attended  witli 
worse  s^anptoms,  than  that  of  a  chirurgical  in- 
strument.^ 

This  porcupine  chanced  to  be  upon  the  ground; 
and  my  greyhound,  which  always  attends  me  and 
never  had  seen  one  before,  no  sooner  set  eyes  on 
him,  than  he  struck  at  him  with  the  same  resolu- 
tion that  he  would  have  done  at  a  fox.  T  thought 
he  would  instantly  have  gone  mad.  His  tongue, 
the  whole  inside  of  his  mouth,  his  nose  and  face 
wci-e  stuck  as  full  of  (piills,  as  it  was  possible  foi* 
tliem  to  be;  insonuich,  that  his  mouth  was  gagged 
wide  open,  and  he  was  in   sueh   agony,  that   he 

'  ThiK  is  a  common  "  received  opinion  "  at  the  present  day,  but  Cart 
wrinht'H   statement   is    correct. 

-  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  "  chirurKical  iiirftrunientH  "  in  those  days 
were  nol  aaeptic. 


158  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 


would  have  bit  me,  when  I  attempted  to  give  him 
relief,  could  he  have  closed  his  mouth.  Upon 
returning  to  the  house,  I  made  Jack  hold  him 
down,  and  then,  with  the  assistance  of  a  pair  of 
bullet  moulds,  in  about  three  hours  time,  I  ex- 
tracted most  of  them.  Some  were  broken  too 
short  to  take  hold  of,  and  I  drew  out  several  by 
their  points,  which  had  penetrated  quite  through 
the  roof  of  his  mouth  and  the  cartilage  of  his  nose. 

Tuesday,  April  4,  1775.  We  singed  the  porcu- 
pine, and  made  a  good  soup  of  it. 

It  blew,  snowed,  and  drifted  exceedingly  hard, 
with  sharp  frost  all  day. 

Thursday,  May  11,  1775.  Some  of  the  people 
were  employed  in  making  a  salmon-net,  others  in 
collecting  sealing-craft,  and  the  rest  in  carrying 
away  the  chips  and  dirt  from  about  the  house.  I 
caught  an  ermine  ^  in  the  store-room. 

It  rained  till  six  in  the  morning,  and  froze  after- 
wards. 

Monday,  May  15,  1775.  I  saw  the  first  shell- 
birds,  divers  and  sandlarks.^  I  went  out  a  duck- 
shooting  in  the  evening,  and  killed  four,  and  a  pair 
of  shellbirds;  and  had  a  marten  in  one  of  my, 
traps  on  Otter  Point. 

Sunday,  May  27,  1775.  I  went  out  in  a  skiff 
this  morning  to  Battle  Harbour  ^  and  the  adjacent 

*  Bonaparte's  weasel,  Putorius  cicognanii.  It  is  brown  in  summer  and 
white  in  winter. 

"  Probably  sandpipers  although  he  may  refer  to  the  horned  lark  or 
shore  lark,   Otocorift  alpestris. 

^  This  is  the  first  mention  by  Cartwright  of  that  now  important  fishing- 
station. 


I 


C/3 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  159 

Islands,  and  killed  thirty  ducks  and  a  paii*  of 
ladies. 

Sioiday,  June  4,  1775.  At  eight  o'clock  this 
morning  I  sailed  in  the  Otter,  with  live  of  our 
people  and  Indian  Jack,  for  Alexis  River  and 
Sandwich  Bay.  At  two  we  were  abreast  of  Port 
Charlotte;  and  the  wind  taking  us  a  head,  we 
wui'ked  to  windward  up  Alexis  RiAci',  as  high  as 
a  small  cove  in  Denbigh  Island,  opposite  to  Sugar 
Island,  where  we  anchored  at  ten  at  night.  I  had 
been  out  in  the  skilf,  and  shot  a  goose.  The  boat 
proved  so  leaky,  that  the  spudgel  *  was  scarce 
ever  out  of  hand. 

Mondai),  June  5,  1775.  Weighing  at  day-light, 
we  towed  and  worked  till  eleven  o'clock,  and  find- 
ing we  gained  nothing,  came  to  an  anchor  again 
off  the  east  head  of  Ship  Harbour.  I  went  off 
immediately  in  the  punt  witli  two  hands  up  the 
river,  landed  at  midnight  opposite  to  Grove  Is- 
land, and  lay  down  to  sleep.  I^ast  night  seven 
hundred  spudgels  of  water,  was  thrown  out  of  the 
boat  in  three  hours. 

Tuesday^  June  6,  1775.  At  half  past  three  this 
morning,  we  rowed  into  Grove  Tickle,  whei'c  we 
found  a  Ijoat's  ci-ew  of  Coghlan's,  rinding;  lioni 
them  w^e  learned  where  our  coopers  lived,  and  ar- 
rived at  their  house  at  five  o'clock.  T  found  they 
had  made  five  hundred  and  fifty  bundles  of  hoops, 
and  had  cauciht  twelve  martens  and  one  fox. 
M'hc  Mountaineer  Indians,  with  whom  we  are  ac- 

*  A  spuflcr-l  i«  M  f^nifiU  Hort  f>f  biickot  fixcfl  in  tho  cnfl  of  m  HtafT;  iind 
ia  Uflcd  to  bail  houtH  with,  when  thoy  havo  not  a  pump  fix<'<I  in  (hem. 


160  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

quainted,  being  on  Nevile  Island,  I  went  there  and 
got  the  skins  of  ten  martens,  four  foxes,  four 
beavers,  and  three  otters  of  them,  in  part  of  their 
debt  to  us.  At  noon,  bringing  the  whole  crew  with 
me,  I  set  off  for  the  Shalloway,  and  got  on  board 
her  at  four  o'clock,  and  then  sent  one  cooper  and 
a  youngster  back  immediately  in  a  flat,  and  sailed 
for  Sandwich  Bay.  At  night  we  anchored  in  Fish- 
ing-ships Harbour.  One  of  the  people  saw  fresh 
slot  of  deer,  on  the  easternmost  island. 

Thursday,  June  8,  1775.  At  four  this  morning 
we  weighed  and  went  to  sea.  I  went  off  in  the 
skiff,  with  four  hands,  to  take  a  view  of  the  islands 
on  the  outside  of  Stoney  Island;  the  largest  of 
which  forms  a  very  fine  harbour  for  small  vessels, 
between  it  and  Stoney  Island.  It  runs  N.  E.  and 
S.  W.,  has  a  fair,  narrow  entrance  at  each  end,  but 
widens  in  the  middle  by  a  cove  in  the  small  Island, 
on  which  we  found  a  hind  and  calf.  I  shot  the 
hind,  and  then  lying  down  close  to  her,  caught 
the  calf  by  a  leg  as  it  came  to  suck.  Observing 
the  drift  ice  to  draw  nearer  in  shore,  and  it  being 
calm,  I  went  out  to  the  shalloway  and  towed  her 
into  this  harbour.  I  then  sent  two  men  to  take 
a  cruise  over  Stoney  Island,  and  gave  them  but 
one  gun.  I  soon  perceived  one  of  them  throwing 
stones  at  an  old  hind,  which  stood  her  ground  in 
a  defensive  posture.  The  novelty  of  the  sight  sur- 
prised me  greatly,  as  I  could  not  account  for  it; 
I  immediately  went  over  with  the  dogs,  and  we 
soon  caught  the  calf  alive  and  drove  the  hind  into 
the  water,  where  the  rest  of  the  people  pursued 


LABRADOR    JOURXAL  161 

with  the  skift"  and  kilK'd  her.  1  then  learned,  that 
as  soon  as  they  had  got  to  Xhv  top  of  the  first  hill, 
they  diseovered  these  deer,  feeding  on  the  other 
side  of  it,  and  that  one  of  them  returned  to  inform 
me,  whilst  the  other  attem])ted  to  get  a  shot.  The 
deer  percei\iiig  him,  ran  I'ouiid  the  liill  and  eom- 
ing  elose  past  the  other  man,  he  broke  the  under 
jaw  of  tlie  (^alf  with  a  stone;  upon  whieh  it  lay 
down:  and  the  affection  of  the  dam  was  so  great, 
that  she  would  not  quit  it,  although  he  hit  her 
several  times  \\\X]\  such  force,  that  I  could  hear 
the  soimd  of  the  stones.  The  calf  was  not  more 
than  two  or  three  days  old,  and  judging  it  impos- 
sible to  kee])  it  aliv(\  we  killed  it;  but  it  proved 
very  indifferent  meat.  At  eight  o'clock  at  night, 
the  wind  shifting  suddenly  and  l)lowing  a  hard 
gale,  the  boat  went  round  her  anchor,  fouled  it, 
and  drove.  AVe  let  go  the  other,  and  brought  her 
up  just  as  she  was  going  ashore;  after  which  we 
moored  her  safe.  A  great  mimber  of  seals  were 
seen,  beating  back  to  the  northwai-d.  We  had  the 
pleasure  to  find  that  the  boat  made  much  less 
water. 

Frida/i,  J inir  9,  177 ~).  At  noon  T  sent  two  men 
a  shooting  on  Stoney  Island,  and  they  returned  at 
five  o'clock  with  a  ])tai'migan,  and  reported  that 
no  ice  was  in  sight  to  the  norfhward;  but,  that 
to  the  southward  it  was  jannued  in  upon  the  sIkut. 
We  got  some  wood  jiiul  water  on  boai'd  and  at 
night  unuKMircd.  l^'^roni  the  gj-eal  plenf\'  of  veni- 
son which  we  got  hei'c,  I  named  this.  Vrnison  Ifar- 
hour;  and  the  small  island  which  makes  it,  Vcui- 


162  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

son  Island.  The  boat  leaks  so  little  now  that  we 
can  keep  her  free  with  ease. 

It  snowed  hard  all  the  morning,  and  the  day 
was  dull. 

Saturday,  June  10,  1775.  At  three  this  morning 
we  weighed  and  went  to  sea.  At  six,  the  wind 
shifting  we  worked  in  among  the  Seal  Islands, 
and  came  to  anchor  in  a  narrow  tickle,  open  to 
the  S.  S.  W.  As  I  disliked  that  place  I  immedi- 
ately went  off  in  the  skiff,  to  find  a  passage 
through  these  Islands,  (which  are  very  numer- 
ous,) and  a  good  harbour.  I  found  both,  and  ob- 
served, that  the  coast  was  clear  for  about  four 
miles  off  shore;  but,  that  all  beyond  that  was  one 
continued  jam  of  ice.  I  landed  on  several  islands 
and  got  thirty  two  eggs  and  shot  six  ducks.  At 
four  o'clock  a  breeze  sprang  up  and  we  got  under 
sail,  but  it  soon  after  failed  and  we  came  to  again, 
in  an  excellent  Esquimau  harbour. 

A  fine  day. 

Sunday,  June  11,  1775.  This  morning  at  five 
o'clock  we  got  mider  sail,  and  as  there  was  not 
much  wind,  I  sent  four  hands,  and  Jack  in  my 
kyack,  to  visit  the  small  islands  which  lay  ahead 
of  us.  As  the  season  is  very  backward,  eggs  are 
scarce  yet;  therefore  they  met  with  only  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five.  The  people  having  seen  a 
hare,  I  went  on  shore  and  killed  her;  she  proved 
of  the  white  sort  ^  and  had  five  young  ones  in 
her;  which  is  one  more  than  I  ever  observed,  or 
heard  of  before.    This  sort,  in  my  opinion,  ought 

^  Labrador  or  Miller's  Polar  hare,  Lepus  arcticus  labradorius. 


T.ABRADOR    JOFEXAT.  163 

railuT  to  he  c-alled  the  inountaiii,  than  the  polar 
hare;  as  I  have  seen  them  on  the  heathy  moun- 
tains in  Ireland  and  Seothmd,  where  they  are  com- 
mon: and  I  have  heen  tukl,  that  they  are  to  be 
found  upon  Chiviot  Ilihs;  l)ut  I  could  never  learn 
that  the  connnon  hai'e  ever  frequented  those  lofty 
situations.  At  six  at  night  we  anchored  in  a  cove, 
in  a  small  ])ay  at  the  east  end  of  the  Isle  of  Ponds, 
pretty  well  defended  from  the  easterly  winds  by 
some  islands,  called  the  Dismal  Islands,  and  land- 
locked fi'om  every  other.  Jack  took  a  cruise  in 
my  kyack,  and  soon  returned  Avith  information, 
that  there  were  a  brace  of  stags  on  a  point  wdiich 
projects  into  the  middle  of  the  bay.  I  went  after 
them  in  the  kyack,  followed  by  the  skiff,  which 
made  so  much  noise,  that  they  Avent  off  before  I 
could  land.  In  the  ni,i;ht,  a  large  ])an  of  ice  drove 
foul  of  us,  and  pinned  us  in  the  cove. 

A  fine,  clear,  warm  day. 

Mondaij,  June  12,  1775.  The  ice  pressing  hard 
upon  us,  we  vered  closer  in  shore,  and  put  one 
third  of  the  cargo  out  on  the  ice;  but  having  six- 
teen iiK'hes  of  water  to  spare  at  low  water,  we 
took  llu-  casks  in  again.  The  ice  still  forcing  us 
further  in,  a1  elcNcn  a1  night  the  ])oat  grounded 
and  lay  along  very  much;  yet,  by  the  help  of  the 
fore  haul\ai-d  made  fast  to  a  rock,  we  got  her  over 
to  the  othei'  side,  where  sh(*  was  supj^orted  by  a 
])an  of  ice  and  sat  almost  on  an  even  keel  upon 
flat  rocks. 

Hard  snow  and  sharp  fi'ost  all  day  and  night. 

Tuesdajjy  June   13,   1775.     At  noon,   the   boat 


164  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

grounded  again,  and  the  casks  of  salt  pressed  so 
hard  against  her  sides  as  to  force  them  open.  She 
sprung  her  main  thwart,  and  drew  both  that  and 
the  partner  thwart  off  from  the  gunwhale  on  the 
starboard  side;  when  the  mast,  which  was  very 
heavy,  heeling  to  the  other,  I  expected  she  would 
have  fallen  abroad.  We  immediately  fixed  the 
main  haulyards  to  a  rock;  and  by  so  doing,  sup- 
ported the  mast  and  gave  her  great  ease.  As  soon 
as  she  was  afloat,  we  landed  four  hogsheads  of 
bread,  one  empty  hogshead,  and  a  grindstone; 
and  put  fourteen  hogsheads  of  salt  upon  a  pan  of 
ice.  We  then  bored  holes  through  her  sides  with 
an  auger,  drew  them  in,  and  lashed  them  round 
the  main  mast  with  ratline,  and  by  passing  it 
through  the  thwarts,  we  secured  them  at  the  same 
time.  At  high  water  the  ice  pressed  exceedingly 
hard  upon  us.  It  froze,  snowed,  and  drifted  very 
much  all  day.  We  picked  up  some  drift-wood, 
with  which  we  made  a  fire  by  the  side  of  a  rock; 
but,  even  with  this  accommodation,  we  were 
starved,  and  much  dispirited  in  our  situation :  for 
we  expected  to  lose  the  boat;  our  skiff  would  not 
carry  more  than  five ;  and  we  were  full  sixty  miles 
from  the  nearest  inhabited  place  within  our 
knowledge. 

Wednes.  June  14,  1775.  At  seven  this  morning, 
the  larboard  bowfast  parted,  and  the  cleat  of  the 
large  road  was  carried  away.  The  large  ice  with- 
out us,  being  now  broken  in  pieces,  pressed  harder 
than  ever.  At  eleven,  she  took  the  ground  in  a 
yery  ugly  manner,  hanging  between  a  rock  on  one 


LABR.VDOR    JOURNAL  165 

side  and  a  pan  ot*  ice  on  the  other;  and  it  was  out 
of  our  }>o\ver  to  relie\e  her,  as  the  ice  was  about 
seven  feet  thick. 

Weather  nnich  the  same  as  before. 

Thursdaij,  J nitv  15,  1775.  At  noon  I  took  a  walk 
on  the  island,  killed  a  grouse  with  my  rifle,  and 
had  a  good  course  after  a  hare.  At  half  flood  I 
returned,  when,  the  boat  being  afloat  and  the  wind 
considerably  abated,  with  iuprediblo  labour  and 
difficulty,  and  not  without  much  danger,  we 
warped  the  vessel  through  the  ice,  got  under  sail 
and  worked  fartlier  off.  Slie  got  such  a  squeeze 
last  night,  as  to  prove  so  leaky  this  morning,  that 
we  could  hardly  keep  her  a  float.  I  sent  the  skiff 
in  for  the  small  anchor,  ])ut,  not  being  able  to  get 
at  it,  they  cut  the  road  and  left  it.  By  midnight 
we  had  got  almost  all  on  board  again,  except  the 
siilt;  it  then  began  to  blow  smart  again,  and  we 
weiglied  and  ran  round  the  ]')oint  into  Batteau 
Harljour. 

Fridd//,  June  16,  1775.  At  one  this  morning, 
we  anchored  in  Batteau  Harbour,  and  at  six,  ob- 
serving the  main  jam  coming  fast  u])on  us,  even 
against  a  fi-esh  of  wind,  T  sent  the  skiff  on  shore 
to  bring  off  what  ever  they  could  get,  across  the 
neck;  and  before  she  retui'iied  we  wei'e  obliged 
to  weigh  and  put  to  sea,  and  lind  but  just  lime 
to  pass,  between  a  ])fHnt  and  llie  ice.  The  skiff 
joined  us  soon  aftei-  and  bi-onuht  my  kyack,  but 
left  the  rest  of  llic  things  .md  a  l.loodliound  be- 
hind. They  i-cp(.r1cd.  ili;ij  tlie  whole  c(»Ae,  wliich 
T  nanierl  Devil's  Cove,  was  full  of  di-jft   ice;    ;iiid 


166  CAPTAIN   CAETWRIGHT'S 

that  the  flat  pans  among  which  we  had  lain,  were 
driven  on  shore  by  the  former;  consequently,  had 
we  not  got  out  just  as  we  did,  the  boat  must  have 
been  crushed  to  pieces.  At  ten  o'clock  we  an- 
chored in  Porcupine  Harbour,  and  soon  after 
shifted  our  berth  to  the  mouth  of  the  north  brook, 
where  we  moored  with  a  shore  fast;  having  now 
but  one  anchor.  I  had  a  salmon-net  put  out,  and 
shot  a  goose.  Tliis  brook  has  lately  been  much 
frequented  by  deer  and  black  bears.  The  boat 
very  leaky. 

Some  snow  today,  and  the  weather  remarkably 
cold. 

Saturday,  June  17,  1775.  The  boat  leaked  less 
water  than  yesterday  by  one  half. 

It  rained  all  day,  and  snowed  in  the  evening, 
with  very  cold  weather. 

Sunday,  June  18, 1775.  I  put  out  an  ottertrap, 
hauled  the  net  and  had  a  large  sea  trout  ^  in  it. 
A  black  bear  had  chewed  the  inner  mooring  of 
the  net  all  to  pieces;  I  took  it  up  in  the  evening 
and  hung  a  codfish  in  a  small  tree  for  the  bear. 

A  rainy  morning,  a  dull  day,  and  clear  evening. 

Monday,  June  19,  1775.  At  day-light  I  sent  one 
of  the  people  on  shore  to  watch  the  bear:  at  five 
he  called  on  me,  and  said,  that  three  large  bears 
were  on  the  west  side  of  the  brook.  I  went  on 
shore  immediately  and  saw  two  but  they  crossed 
the  brook,  and  I  could  not  get  near  them.  I  waded 
through  the  water  up  to  my  middle,  and  was  near 
being  carried  down  by  the  rapidity  of  the  current: 

^  Salvelinus,  species? 


LABRADOR    JOURXAL  167 

and  the  "water  was  so  cold  that  my  blood  was 
almost  stagnated.  In  the  evening  1  tailed  a  gun 
for  them.  Mu^h  ice  drove  into  the  mouth  of  the 
harbour. 

Mo)id(nj,  June  26,  1775.  At  two  in  the  morning 
we  came  to  sail,  intending  to  keep  within  the  Isle 
of  Ponds,  but  on  going  a  head  in  the  skiff,  I  found 
the  tickle  was  jammed  at  the  north  end;  upon 
which  we  hauled  the  wind,  worked  to  windward 
of  the  ishind,  and  then  bore  away  out  side  of 
Spotted  Island.  Having  passed  it,  and  observing 
a  deal  of  ice  a  head,  we  hauled  close  under  a  small 
high  island,  at  the  north  entrance  of  Spotted  Is- 
land Tickle,  and  there  anchored.  I  then  landed 
to  take  a  view,  and  found  ourselves  to  be  in  most 
imminent  danger;  being  entirely  surrounded  w  ith 
ice;  that  to  windward,  driving  fast  after  us,  and 
that  to  leeward,  jamming  in  upon  the  outer  side 
of  Indian  Island.  But  as  there  was  still  a  small 
opening  left,  the  only  way  ])y  which  we  could 
escape,  I  ran  down  the  hill,  returned  on  board  and 
hauled  up  the  anchor;  we  shook  out  all  the  reefs, 
flew  away  at  the  rate  of  eight  knots  and  soon  got 
safe  through.  At  quartei-  before  four  in  the  after- 
noon, we  passed  Half-Way  Tslniid,  when  we  (•.•iiiic 
into  a  clear  sea;  after  running  through  scattered 
ice,  so  close  that  we  could  scarce  kec]^  cleai*  of  it 
for  eleven  leagues.  TTad  we  sti-iick  against  the 
ice,  the  boat  must  ha\('  1)fM'n  daslicd  to  pieces.  At 
li.ilf  past  six,  we  douli1<Ml  Tape  Noi'tli,  and  \\\ 
ei^ht,  anchored  off  Venison  Head,  ho])ing  to  find 
shelter  in  a  small  cove  there;    bnt   being  disajv 


168  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

pointed  we  weighed  again,  and  spent  the  night 
under  sail  between  Huntingdon  Island,  and  the 
Continent. 

A  fine  day,  but  the  night  was  dark  and  cloudy. 

Tuesday,  June  27,  1775.  At  four  this  morning 
we  entered  Cartwright  Harbour,  and  at  eight  got 
into  Sandwich  Bay,  when  we  anchored  off  a  point 
called,  Longstretch,  and  I  went  oft*  in  the  skiff  for 
our  people's  house.  Three  miles  below  the  nar- 
rows of  Hinchingbrook  Bay,  and  on  the  south 
shore,  I  found  the  old  punt,  which  they  brought 
with  them,  on  shore  and  staved;  this  made  me 
apprehend  some  accident  had  happened  to  them; 
on  a  point  at  the  entrance  of  the  river,  I  found 
a  trap  on  a  rubbing-place  struck  up,  with  the 
grass  grown  through  it,  which  increased  my  fears, 
and  those  were  afterwards  confirmed  at  one 
o'clock,  when  we  arrived  at  their  house,  which 
I  found  they  had  left  some  time  ago.  On  exam- 
ining their  chests,  I  found  a  letter  for  me  in  the 
head-man's  pocketbook,  informing  me,  that  they 
had  been  almost  two  months  on  very  short  allow- 
ance; had  eaten  their  dogs  and  part  of  the  skins 
of  the  furs  which  they  had  caught,  and  did  not 
expect  to  live  long.  This  letter  was  dated  the 
twenty- third  of  May,  and  by  Friend's  journal,  I 
believe  they  continued  here  until  the  end  of  that 
month.  They  had  built  a  skiff,  and  as  she  was 
gone,  and  they  had  plenty  of  powder  and  shot,  I 
am  in  hopes  they  have  got  to  sea,  where  they  will 
be  well  supplied  with  ducks  and  eggs.  In  the 
house  I  found  thirty  fox,  forty-seven  marten,  ten 


Q 


Pk 


P. 


n 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  169 

rabbits  imd  two  mink  skins,  besides  a  good  quan- 
tity of  feathers;  and  about  tbc  door,  twenty  four 
porcupine  skins.  They  had  also  killed  some  otters 
and  a  wolf;  the  carcasses  of  the  whole  were  more 
than  would  have  served  them  two  months,  exclu- 
sive of  the  provisions  they  ])rought  with  them, 
which  alone  were  sufficient  to  have  lasted  them 
until  this  day.  But  I  could  plainly  perceive  they 
had  made  great  waste;  which  was  the  cause  of 
theii"  want.    I  stayed  here  the  night. 

A  clear  hot  day. 

Thursdaif,  June  29,  1775.  At  day-light  I  sent 
the  peojde  on  shore  to  build  the  wharf  on  a  \)0\\\\ 
T\hicli  I  named  Paradise.  At  six  o'clock  in  the 
evening  the  wharf  lieing  tinished,  we  heaved 
along  side  and  Ix'gan  to  deliver  the  goods;  but 
were  soon  obliged  to  desist,  as  the  tide  was  near 
carrying  away  our  new  fabrick.  We  had  six  slinks 
in  the  net. 

A  very  hot  day. 

Sundaij,  Julji  2,  1775.  Sending  the  people  on 
shore  at  day-light,  Hayes  repaired  and  caulked 
the  old  j)unt.  Two  hands  were  rinding  part  of 
the  day,  and  got  eighty-two;  the  rest  wei-e  at  work 
on  the  salmon  liKusc.  At  clcxcn  o'clock  I  went 
in  my  kyack  into  ninchin})rook  I  );iy,  on  the  south 
shore  of  wliich,  and  near  tbc  bead,  F  found  tbc 
new  skiff  drixcn  on  shoi'c  ])y  flic  wind,  and  staved; 
her  painter  was  tied  to  one  of  licr  masts,  wbicb 
had  the  sail  on  it.  and  was  lyiiiLi"  on  tbc  bcacb:  bci' 
thwai'ts,  ])ottom  Ixiai'ds,  some  fui*-l»oards,  and  live 
rackets  wore  at   bigb  water  mai'k;    and  a  spade. 


170  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

drawing-knife,  liatcliet,  gouge  and  seven  trap- 
chains  were  in  her;  so  that  all  hopes  of  their  being 
yet  alive  are  now  over. 

Monday,  July  3,  1775.     The  fish  here  are  the 
largest,  fattest  and  best  I  ever  saw  on  this  coast. 
We  had  a  pike  ^  of  six  pounds  in  one  of  the  nets, . 
which  is  the  first  I  ever  heard  of  in  this  country. 

Thursday,  July  6, 1775.  We  ballasted  the  Otter, 
brought  down  the  lost  men's  chests  from  their 
house,  killed  thirteen  tierces  of  fish,  and  left  the 
nets  full.  At  two  o'clock,  leaving  three  salm- 
oniers,  the  cooper  and  Jack,  and  taking  the  other 
three  hands  with  me  in  the  Otter,  I  made  sail  for 
Charles  Harbour. 

Tuesday,  July  11,  1775.  At  five  in  the  evening 
we  came  to  an  anchor  in  Charles  Harbour  and 
moored.  I  found  our  ship.  Earl  of  Dartmouth, 
arrived;  she  came  in,  the  twenty  eighth  ult.  in  a 
shattered  condition,  having  met  with  the  ice,  five 
or  six  degrees  off  the  land,  and  had  been  fast  in 
it  for  tW'Cnty-three  days.  By  her  w^e  learnt,  that 
the  Lady  Tyrconnel  had  been  repaired,  and  re- 
turned upon  our  hands  by  the  underwriters,  and 
was  on  her  voyage  from  Barcelona  to  Quebec  with 
wine,  for  Mr.  Lymburner;  from  whence  she  was 
to  come  here,  Avith  supplies  of  bread,  flour  and 
other  goods. 

Of  all  the  dreary  sights  which  I  have  yet  beheld, 
none  ever  came  up  to  the  appearance  of  this  coast, 
between  Alexis  River  and  Cartwright  Harbour, 
on  my  late  voyage  to  Sandwich  Bay.    The  conti- 

^  Esox  ludus. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  171 

iieut  is  all  uf  it  niuuiitaiiiuus,  except  the  peninsula 
which  parts  Rocky  Bay,  from  Table  Bay;  the 
extreme  point  of  which  forms  one  side  ol'  Indian 
Tickle.  All  the  islands,  the  Isle  of  Ponds,  the 
8eal  Ishinds  and  some  of  the  small  ones  which 
are  within  the  bays  excepted,  are  high;  the  faces 
of  all  the  hills  which  front  the  sea,  are  scarce  any- 
thing but  bare  rocks.  The  spots  where  any  ver- 
dure was  likely  to  appear,  were  covered  with  drift 
banks  of  snow ;  the  shore  was  barricaded  with  ice, 
seven  feet  thick;  most  of  the  best  harbours  were 
then  not  open,  and  all  the  I'cst  had  so  much  loose 
ice,  driving  about  with  every  wind  as  to  render 
it  dangerous  to  anchor  therein;  the  water  which 
we  had  to  sail  through,  had  abtmdance  of  scat- 
tered ice  floating  upon  it,  and  all  towards  the  sea 
was  one,  uniform,  coni])a<-t  body  of  rough  ice. 
How  far  it  reached  from  the  shore  must  be  left 
to  conjecture;  btit  I  make  no  doubt  it  extended 
fifty  leagues  at  least;  perhaps  double  that  dis- 
tance. There  was  however  some  advantage  from 
it,  since  it  kept  the  water  as  smooth,  as  land  would 
have  done  at  that  distance.  Tlie  badness  of  the 
weather  also  contributed  to  increase  the  horror  of 
the  scene.  But  we  no  sooner  entered  Cartwi'ight 
llarboiii-,  than  the  face  of  na1ui-e  was  so  greatly 
and  suddenly  changed,  as  if  we  had  sh(»t  within 
the  trojiics.  There  we  saw  neithei-  ice  nor  snow; 
the  hills  were  of  a  moderate  height,  ci)ini)letely 
covered  with  spruces,  larches,  fii-s  and  ])irch,  the 
di tVci'ciit  hues  of  wliicli  caused  a  plcasinu"  variety, 
and  the  sln.>re  was  b<>i  dried   i-oinid   with   xci'daiit 


172  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

grass.  Tlie  water  too,  instead  of  pans  of  ice,  was 
mottled  over  with  ducks  and  drakes,  *  cooing 
amorously;  which  brought  to  my  remembrance, 
the  pleasing  melody  of  the  stockdove.  That  noth- 
ing might  be  wanting  to  complete  the  contrast, 
there  was  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky:  the  sun  had  no 
sooner  attained  a  sufficient  height,  than  he  darted 
his  rays  upon  us  most  vehemently;  which  were 
reflected  back,  by  the  glossy  surface  of  the  water, 
with  intolerable  heat;  while  zephyrus  played 
upon  us  with  a  tropical  warmth.  The  scene  was 
greatly  altered  on  our  return,  for  the  jam  ice  was 
not  to  be  seen,  the  barricados  were  fallen  off  from 
the  shore,  most  of  the  snow  melted,  all  the  har- 
bours were  open,  and  we  had  much  pleasanter 
prospects,  since  we  ran  within  several  of  the 
largest  islands,  and  of  course  saw  their  best  sides. 

Wednes.,  July  12, 1775.  No  codfish  on  the  coast 
yet.    Hard  gale  with  rain  all  day. 

Thursday,  July  13,  1775.  This  morning  Cath- 
erine Bettres  was  delivered  of  a  son. 

Strong  gales  with  rain. 

Friday,  July  14,  1775.  I  examined  all  the  furs 
which  we  got  last  winter,  and  found  we  had  a 
hundred  and  thirty-two  martens,  fifty-seven 
foxes,  eighteen  beavers,  seventeen  otters,  and 
four  minks.     A  skiff  came  up  from  our  stage, 

*  Eider-ducks  make  a  cooing  at  this  time  of  the  year,  not  unlike  the 
first  note  of  the  stockdove.     [Columba  (lenas.Y 

^  The  courtship  of  the  eider  is  an  interesting  performance,  and  is  ex- 
pressed by  curious  gestures  of  the  head,  neck  and  body,  as  well  as  by  the 
notes  which  sound  Uke  the  syllables  aah-ou  or  ah-ee-ou.  See  "  A  Labrador 
Spring,"  pp.  84-89. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  173 

wiiieli  was  built  since  1  left  this  place  on  Great 
Caribou,  for  a  capliu-sein,  and  reported  that 
there  was  plenty  of  caplin,  but  no  cod.  A  rainy 
day. 

Tucsdaij,  July  IS,  1775.  An  Indian  family 
(mountaineers)  came  here  to-day,  who  said,  that, 
they  had  been  towards  Sandwich  Bay,  and  saw 
a  great  smoke  thereabouts.  The  other  Indian 
family  was  here  when  I  arrived. 

Wtdncs.,  J  nil/  19,  1775.  We  completed  the 
loading  of  the  Otter,  and  at  four  in  the  afternoon, 
taking  captain  Dykes,  with  four  of  his  men,  the 
boatbuilder,  a  cooper,  and  both  the  Indian  fami- 
lies, consistinij:  of  thirteen  persons,  I  sailed  for 
Sandwich  Ba\',  with  the  ship's  long-l)oat  in  tow. 

Suvdnj/,  Julji  23,  1775.  At  four  this  morning  I 
sent  the  long-boat  for  the  salt,  and  while  it  was 
brini^nng  off,  I  went  with  captain  Jack  (the  princi- 
pal Indian)  in  his  canoe,  round  the  cove  [Devil's 
Cove],  We  killed  five  ducks,  four  geese,  and  an 
otter.  We  returiHHl  at  seven,  just  as  the  salt  was 
st'twcd,  and  K'<'t  inider  sail  immediately.  We  saw 
great  j)lenty  of  cod  and  caplin  round  the  Dismal 
Islands;  and  observed,  tlial  ])l<Mi1y  of  sha^gs  ^ 
and  tinkers  breed  o]i  them.  In  tlic  al'tcnioon  we 
anchored  in  Sand  Hill  Cove,  wliei-e  we  found  a 
|»rodigious  quantity  of  cod  and  cajilin;  the  former 
we  cauLdit  as  fast  as  we  could  hand  them  in,  and 

'  Tlu-  t<-nn  Khnij  w  !i[)[)IifHl  in  Ann-rifii  hoth  to  tho  (louhlcd-rrpstod  ror- 
inorunt.  I'hnlnrrortirnx  nurilu.'<,  .■mil  the  corniiinn  rnrinorant,  I'hnlncrn- 
cmnx  rarho,  both  of  which  l)rc<-<l  on  tlic  LiibnKlor  Coiwt.  In  iMinhmd 
tho  t'-rm  xhfid  iippli«-H  to  thf  (Ween  Cormoniiil .  /'.  grnailm,  uiul  not  to 
/'.  anho  which  alao  occurs  tli<r<-  ami  i.^  railed  cormorant. 


174  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

the  latter  we  gathered  in  great  numbers  among 
the  rocks,  where  they  were  left  by  the  tide.  The 
Indians  went  on  shore  and  made  a  whigwham, 
where  they  remained  all  night,  and  in  the  evening 
one  of  them  shot  at  a  black-bear.  Their  tracks 
w^ere  very  plentiful  on  the  shore,  and  I  watched 
them  till  dark,  but  saw  none ;  I  then  tailed  a  large 
trap  for  them.  There  is  a  large  jam  of  ice  in  the 
offing,  and  a  great  deal  comes  into  Table  Bay, 
which  was  the  principal  reason  of  our  coming  into 
this  place. 

The  day  was  fine,  but  there  was  much  haze 
round  the  horizon. 

Monday,  July  24,  1775.  At  four  this  morning, 
I  sent  the  long-boat  on  shore  for  some  sand  and 
the  trap;  and  at  six,  we  went  to  sea.  We  had 
fish  for  the  haul  this  morning,  and  I  never  saw  so 
fine  a  place  for  a  cod-sein;  the  bottom  being 
smooth,  white  sand,  with  an  extensive  beach  of 
the  same.  I  found  a  *  stag's  head  of  seventy-two 
points,  in  full  perfection,  and  brought  it  away; 
the  beast  had  been  killed  by  another  in  rutting- 

*  This  head  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Earl  of  Dartmouth.' 
1  Mr.  J.  G.  Millais  ("  Newfoundland  and  its  Untrodden  Ways,"  London, 
1907)  says  he  has  never  seen  a  Newfoundland  caribou  with  more  than 
forty-nine  points.  He  adds  in  a  note  (p.  317):  "No  point  should  be 
included  that  does  not  fulfil  the  old  watch-guard  or  powder-horn  test, 
unless  it  may  be  a  clean  blunt  snag  at  least  half  an  inch  from  the  main 
horn.  The  Germans  count  everything  as  a  point  upon  which  a  torn 
piece  of  paper  will  rest,  but  we  regard  as  '  offers  '  all  small  excrescences 
that  do  not  fulfil  the  old  British  conditions.  For  instance,  Captain  Cart- 
wright's  famous  '  seventy-two  point '  Labrador  head,  which  I  have  re- 
cently traced,  and  on  which  he  counted  every  offer,  has  in  reality  fifty- 
three  points."  This  is  no  reflection  on  Cartwright'a  accuracy  but  simply 
shows  diverse  methods  of  counting  points. 


LABRADOR    JOURNxVL  175 

tiiiif,  1  believe;  as  his  bones  were  there.  Wlieu 
we  got  within  a  mile  of  Cape  North,  the  ice 
appeared  to  be  jammed  to  the  northward  of  it; 
ii])ou  which  I  went  a  head  with  captain  Jack  in 
his  eanoe,  hmded  and  walked  to  the  top  of  the 
Cape,  where  we  saw  fresh  slot  of  deer,  and  ob- 
st  r\('(l  the  iee  to  extend  in  a  h\rge  compact  jam, 
from  tile  Gannet  Islands  to  Wolf  Island;  and  a 
great  deal  of  scattered  stuff  to  the  north-east.  We 
got  on  board  again  on  the  north-west  side  of  the 
cape,  and  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  Blackguard 
Bay,  when  the  wind  failing,  we  came  to  an  anchor 
near  Venison  Head,  where  the  Indians  went  on 
shore,  and  erected  a  whigwham. 

Tuesday,  July  25,  1775.  At  four  this  morning 
we  hauled  up  and  came  to  sail,  leaving  the  Indians 
on  shore;  they  refused  to  go  any  further,  because 
I  would  not  give  ca]>tain  Jack  some  rum  last  night 
when  he  was  almost  drunk.  At  one  we  anchored 
off  Black  Head  to  stop  tide;  I  went  forward  in 
my  kyack  to  Cartwright  Ilarboui-,  to  look  for  a 
place  for  building  my  house  u])on;  intending  to 
reside  there,  to  conduct  the  business  in  Sandwich 
Bay.  I  found  a  convenient  and  agreeable  spot 
on  the  point  nt  the  ('nti'micc  of  it.  At  three  o'clock 
we  got  under  sail  again  and  woi-ked  up  to  the 
mouth  of  Dykes  Ri\-er,  wliere  we  canie  to  for  the 
night. 

^Vednes.,  Jul  if  ;.v;,  777.7.  At  1hi-ee  tilis  nioi-ning 
we  got  inidn-  s;iil.  .-iikI  at  six  in  the  e\-eninL;-  we 
anchored  at  the  salnion-p(»st  at  j*ai-adise.  I  found 
about  a  hundred  aii<l   foi'tx-  tierces  of  salmon  on 


176  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

shore,  the  salt  nearly  expended,  and  fish  still 
plentiful.  The  people  informed  me  the  fish  came 
in  so  fast  after  I  left  them,  that  they  were  obliged 
to  take  two  of  their  nets  up,  and  fish  with  two 
only,  till  Monday  last;  when  they  put  out  others. 

Sunday,  July  30,  1775.  We  put  out  two  more 
nets,  took  up  two,  and  boated  *  two.  We  set  up 
the  frame  of  the  fishermen's  house,  packed  five 
tierces  of  fish,  (a  puncheon  contains  two  tierces 
and  a  half;  a  hogshead,  one  and  a  quarter)  and 
caught  two  hundred  and  three  fish;  also,  had  a 
spot  of  ground  dug,  sowed  some  radish  and  turnip 
seeds,  and  set  some  cabbage-plants  which  I 
brought  from  Charles  Harbour. 

Wednes.,  August  2,  1775.  Four  hands  were  at 
work  on  the  house  till  five  in  the  evening,  when 
they  were  driven  off  by  rain;  they  afterwards 
picked  oakum.  We  caught  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  fish,  and  packed  four  tierces.  At  noon  I 
went  up  the  river,  landed  on  the  east  side,  about 
half  a  mile  above  Friend's  Point,  and  walked  to 
the  top  of  a  small  hill,  from  whence  I  had  a  good 
view  of  the  surrounding  country.  I  observed  a 
very  fine  lake,  about  three  miles  long,  and  one 
broad,  lying  on  the  south  river,  a  mile  higher  up. 
By  the  side  of  the  east  river,  there  were  some 
large  marshes;  and  most  of  the  adjacent  country 
is  covered  with  good  birch,  fit  for  making  hoops 
and  staves:  the  whole  had  a  beautiful  appear- 
ance; and  particularly  so  at  this  time  of  the  year, 

*  To  boat  a  net,  is,  to  take  it  into  a  boat  and  put  it  out  immediately 
in  the  same  place. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  177 

when  birches  have  a  richer,  and  more  lively  ap- 
pearance than  spruces  or  tirs.  Nor  are  the  hills 
either  so  high  or  so  steep  as  in  most  parts  of  this 
country,  and  they  are  divided  hy  a  variety  of  little 
brooks  and  rills,  which  adds  to  the  beauty  of  tlie 
]>ros]>ect. 

Fridoji,  August  4,  1775.  Having  finished  the 
studding  of  the  house,  we  covered  it  in,  and  par- 
titi(med  off  a  room  for  salt;  packed  six  tierces, 
killed  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  salmon,  and 
a  trout ; '  such  a  one  as  neither  I  nor  any  of  our 
people  had  ever  seen  before;  it  was  of  a  lead  col- 
our; the  flesh  was  very  pale,  the  skin  was  like 
that  of  a  tench,  and  it  had  no  scales,  but  marked 
as  if  it  had  plenty  of  very  small  ones;  the  belly 
was  white,  and  it  had  two  rows  of  small  red-spots, 
just  ])erceptible,  down  each  of  its  sides:  the  In- 
dian boy  called  it  a  "  salt-water  trout,"  and  said, 
the  rivers  to  the  northward  had  plenty  of  them. 
In  the  evening  I  killed  a  loon  in  the  water,  at  a 
himdred  yards  distance,  with  my  rifle.  I  saw  the 
first  baked  apples.^ 

TJiur.sdtii/,  Ai((ji(st  17,  1775.  In  the  forenoon  I 
went  up  the  river  in  my  kyack,  and  took  two  men, 
the  greyhound  and  a  Newfoundland  dog  in  the 
punt,  to  hunt  foi'  the  bear.  We  got  the  punt  in 
to  the  lake  without  much  difficulty,  and  found  a 
yearling  dog-bear  fast  ])y  both  hind  legs,  in  that 
trap   which    captain   Dykes   saw  last   night;    the 

'  As  thorp  are  bo  many  sperioH  bplonpinn  to  the  Iroiif  fimiily  it  is  iiii- 
pojwiblf  to  nfiriu'  this  otif  with  any  ccrtfiinty,  hut  it  is  possibh'  that  Cart- 
wright  n'fcrx  to  Snlriliiiiis  nr/unssn  narrin. 

'Or  "  bake-applc,"  (.loiiinxTry,  liuhu.i  Chacmutrnorua. 


178  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 


other  was  not  moved,  but  Dykes  was  near  being 
caught  in  it  himself.    After  baiting  the  bear  for 
some  time,  to  enter  the  dogs,  I  shot  it  through  the 
head  and  brought  it,  and  both  the  traps  down  with 
us.     On  our  return  we  skinned  the  bear,  which 
proved  in  good  condition  for  this  time  of  the  year. 
Monday,  August  21,  1775.    At  five  in  the  morn- 
ing we  set  off  again,  and  soon  came  to  the  mouth 
of  a  large  river,  which  I  named  Eagle  River,  from 
seeing  several  of  those  birds  by  the  side  of  it. 
The  mouth  being  very  shallow,  I  sent  the  skiff 
to  the  point  on  the  north  side,  and  went  up  in  my 
kyack  to  the  head  of  the  tide;    which  I  found 
broad,  rapid,  and  discharging  a  deal  of  water; 
the  sides  were  bounded  by  high,  rocky  hills,  well 
covered  with  w^ood,  appearing  to  be  much  fre- 
quented by  salmon  and  bears,  but  difficult  to  fish; 
nor  did  I  see  a  proper  place  for  buildings  to  be 
erected  upon.     Returning  to  the  skiff,  we  rowed 
round  a  sharp  point,  which  I  named  Sepamtion 
Point,  into  another  large  river,  to  which  I  gave 
the  name   of   White-Bear  Elver;    the  motyth  of 
which  is  full  of  sand  banks.    At  four  in  the  after- 
noon we  got  to  the  head  of  the  tide,  where  a 
smaller  stream  falls  in;   and  a  little  higher,  there 
is  a  most  beautiful  cataract,  the  perpendicular  fall 
of  which  is  about  fourteen  feet,  with  a  deep  pool 
underneath.    It  was  so  full  of  salmon,  that  a  ball 
could  not  have  been  fired  into  the  water  without 
striking  some  of  them.    The  shores  were  strewed 
with  the  remains  of  thousands  of  salmon  which 
had  been  killed  by  the  white-bears,  many  of  them 


Near   the  Mouth  of  White   Bear   River 


Looking  South-east  from    the   Mouth  of   Eagle    Hivcr 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  179 

quite  fresli;  aud  scoi'es  of  salmon  were  continu- 
ally in  the  air,  leaping  at  the  fall;  but  none  of 
them  could  rise  half  the  height.  The  country  all 
round  is  full  of  bear-paths,  leading  to  the  fall. 
We  watclied  there  till  dark,  but  saw  no  beast  of 
any  kind.  Retui'ning  to  the  mouth  of  the  small 
river,  we  made  a  fire  under  a  high,  sandy  hill,  and 
lay  there. 

Tuesday,  August  22,  1775.  At  day-light  the 
greyhound  awoke  us  by  barking;  we  jumped  up 
and  found  it  was  at  a  black-bear,  which  was  at 
the  foot  of  the  bank.  He  immediately  ran  off, 
when  one  of  our  people  going  about  fifty  yards 
from  the  resting  place,  came  close  upon  a  large 
wolf,  and  was  glad  to  make  a  speedy  and  safe 
retreat.  Captain  Dykes  and  I  instantly  went 
after  him,  and  saw  the  beast  not  far  from  the 
same  spot:  when  I  sent  a  ball  at  him,  and  laid 
it  close  to  liis  heels.  We  then  walked  to  the  cat- 
aract, but  saw  nothing.  Returning  to  the  boat, 
we  put  our  things  in  and  were  just  going  off,  wlien 
I  perceived  a  wolf  coming  up  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  and  expected  he  would  have  come 
within  shot;  but  he  turned  off  on  winding  the 
smoke.  Al)out  a  mile  below,  we  saw  a  large  stag 
crossing  the  river,  and  T  pursued  him  in  my 
kyafk;  but  lie  winded  nic,  and  gall(»])od  off  into 
the  woods.  At  the  montli  of  the  river,  we  landed 
and  walked  round  a  flat,  sandy  point;  eo\-ei-ed 
with  tall  bad  \vo(»(l,  to  the  mouth  of  a  small  brook, 
which  comes  down  a  valley  IVom  tlie  northward, 
close  under  the  fo*)!  of  Mealv  Mountains  and  on 


180  CAPTAIN    CAKTWRIGHT'S 

the  west  side  of  them;  the  bed  of  this  brook  is  a 
fine,  white  quicksand.  Near  the  mouth  of  the 
brook  we  saw  a  pair  of  doves/  and  I  killed  one 
with  my  rifle;  it  was  much  like  a  turtle  dove  and 
fed  on  the  berries  of  the  Empetrum  Nigrum.  I 
never  heard  of  such  a  bird  in  the  country  before 
and  I  believe  they  are  very  scarce.  Returning  to 
the  boat,  we  sailed  for  Cartwright  Harbour,  and 
had  much  wind  and  sea  in  crossing  the  bay,  which 
is  twelve,  or  thirteen  miles  broad  in  that  part.  I 
found  the  Otter  arrived  and  unloaden. 

Wednes.,  August  23,  1775.  We  ballasted  the 
shalloway,  pitched  my  tent,  made  a  tilt  for  the 
people,  dug  a  spot  of  ground  and  planted  some 
cabbages  in  it.  In  the  morning,  one  of  the  people 
walked  along  shore  to  the  head  of  the  harbour, 
and  there  saw  five  deer  feeding;  he  returned  and 
infoimed  me,  but  they  were  gone  before  I  could 
get  to  the  place.  I  found  some  good  deer  paths, 
and  observed,  that  the  white-bears  frequently 
walked  along  the  shore.  At  eight  in  the  evening, 
the  Otter  sailed  for  Charles  Harbour. 

Thursday,  August  24,  1775.  At  eight  o'clock 
this  morning,  recollecting  that  I  had  not  much  to 
do  here  at  present,  and  that  it  would  be  more  con- 
venient for  me  to  go  to  Charles  Harbour  now  than 
hereafter,  I  put  a  few  clothes  into  the  skiff,  took 
all  hands  and  rowed  after  the  Otter;  knowing  she 
could  not  be  far  off,  as  there  had  been  but  very 
little  wind  ever  since  we  sailed.     In  an  hour  I 

^  Either  the  passenger  pigeon,  Ectopistes  migratorius,  now  probably 
extinct,  or  the  mourning  dove,  Zenaidura  macroura.  Qarolinensin. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  181 

boardt'cl  hv\\  abreast  of  CJoose  Cuve,  and  then  sent 
the  skiff  back. 

[Capt.  Cart  Wright  reached  Charles  Harbour, 
and  after  visitino-  Henley  ITarbonr  returned  on 
the  Lady  Tyreunnel,  bringing  Mrs.  JSelby  and  the 
Indians  with  him.] 

Sunihifj,  September  10,  1775.  At  half  past  seven 
we  anchored  in  Cartwright  Tickle,  abreast  of  the 
landing  ])hire,  for  there  was  too  thick  a  fog  to  go 
any  farther.  Our  people  came  off  and  infonned 
me  that  the  house  was  studded  and  covered  in. 

Monday,  Septemher  11,  1775.  At  one  this  morn- 
ing it  began  to  ])low  hai'd;  at  five  the  gale  was 
heavy,  and  in  half  an  hour  after,  our  cable  parted: 
we  were  then  near  driving  on  shore  upon  Western 
Point,  which  is  shoal,  and  rocky;  but  we  got  her 
before  the  wind,  ran  u))  tlie  harboui*,  and  let  go 
the  other  anchor  ])etween  a  small  woody  island, 
and  Earl  Island,  where  we  brought  up  in  four 
fathoms  and  a  half  of  water,  over  a  bottom  of 
tough  black  mud,  and  there  rode  out  the  gale. 
Tlie  water  was  perfectly  smooth,  but  the  wind 
blew  so  excessively  hard,  that  the  vessel  was  fre- 
(|uently  laid  almost  on  her  beam  ends,  the  tide 
making  her  ride  athwart  the  wind,  and  the  spoon- 
drift  flew  entirely  oN-ei-  lier.  We  gol  \\\)  the  s])are 
anchor,  and  bent  the  i-emaiiis  of  the  parted  cable 
to  it.  It  snr)\ved  aiirl  hailed  all  day,  was  severely 
ct.Id,  ;iii(l  we  wei-e  in  cdiislaiil  a|)]U'ehension  of 
])arting  niir  c.-il)!!'  and  losing  ibe  \'essel,  a1  least, 
if  not  ourselves  also. 

Tuesday,  SeptcDihi  r  /?,  177 ">.     \\  seven  o'clock 


182  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

we  weighed  the  anchor,  and  we  found  it  had  lain 
in  very  tough  mud  with  many  large  stones  in  it; 
for  the  cable  hung  on  them  as  it  came  in,  and  was 
rubbed  in  several  places,  nor  was  the  anchor 
canted,  notwithstanding  the  violence  of  the  gale. 
We  then  set  the  forestay-sail  and  ran  into  the 
bight  on  the  south  side  of  my  house,  there  came 
to  an  anchor  in  nine  fathoms  good,  clear,  ground, 
which  is  an  excellent  place  for  a  ship  to  ride  in. 
I  went  on  shore  and  was  informed,  that  the  tide 
yesterday,  flowed  two  feet  higher  than  usual;  that 
it  rose  two  inches  high  in  the  house;  and  that  the 
violence  of  the  wind  was  so  great,  as  to  turn  the 
bottom  up  of  a  sealing-skiff,  which  lay  on  Rocky 
Point.  I  never  experienced  so  hard  a  gale  before. 
Sunday,  October  1, 1775.  We  landed  all  the  salt 
and  part  of  the  provisions  [at  Hoop-pole-Cove]. 
At  noon  taking  Jack  with  me,  I  went  up  the  East 
River  in  a  skiff,  landed  at  the  head  of  the  tide, 
and  walked  by  the  side  of  it  to  the  foot  of  the 
second  pond;  we  then  ascended  a  high  hill  on 
the  south  side,  from  whence  we  had  an  extensive 
view  of  the  country.  We  saw  a  lake  lying  on  the 
river,  to  the  eastward  of  that  hill,  and  several 
small  pools  to  the  northward.  On  our  return,  we 
observed  a  salmon  in  the  second  pond,  and  found 
a  gooseberry  ^  bush  on  the  bank  of  it,  which  is  the 
first  I  have  either  seen  or  heard  of  in  this  country. 
From  the  top  of  Rodghill,  I  observed  two  other 
good  streams  fall  into  the  river,  before  it  empties 
into  the  tide  way,  and  several  large  marshes  by 

•  Rihes  oxyacanthoides. 


LABRxVDOR   JOURNAL  183 


the  sides  of  llu'iu.  Tlu'  cDuntry  is  very  [)r()mismg 
for  deer  and  beavers,  and  the  wliole  that  we  went 
over  to-day,  is  so  clear  of  woods  and  rocks,  that 
T  could  have  galloped  a  liorse  all  the  way  from 
the  boat,  except  the  tirst  two  hundred  yards.  In 
one  place  were  several  acres  of  ground  \\  ith  long 
grass  growing  on  it  fit  for  tihage:  I  tried  the  soil, 
and  found  it  a  light  sand,  with  a  good  mixture  of 
black  mould,  and  of  a  great  depth.  We  killed  a 
porcupine  and  a  spruce-game. 

Wahifs.,  October  11,  1775.  At  nine  o'clock, 
captain  Kinloch  and  I  went  off  in  the  yawl  for 
my  house,  and  took  the  new  skiff  in  tow,  laden 
witli  casks.  On  our  arrival  there,  w^e  were  in- 
fonned  that  three  deer  had  taken  the  water  in 
front  of  the  door,  about  an  lioiir  l)efore,  and  swum 
down  the  Tickle  into  Huntingdon  Harbour,  where 
they  still  remained.  Leaving  the  skiff  ^ve  pur- 
sued, and  soon  got  sight  of  them,  lying  to  in  the 
middle  of  the  harbour.  They  made  towards  us 
until  we  got  very  near;  they  then  made  off,  and 
caused  a  long  and  severe  chase,  biit  at  length  I 
killed  them  all.  They  proved  n  staggard,'  a 
kiKibler,'  and  an  did  hind:  the  (pmrters  and 
hunililes^  of  the  wlmle,  weighed  t'nui'  hmidi'ii' 
and  ninety-six  pounrls.  Tl  is  incredible  how  fast 
they  swim,*  and  how  long  they  can  hold  it;  al- 
though Ihe  bont  I'ows  very  well,  yet  we  had  hard 

'  A  Htf^  in  hi.H  fourth  year. 

*  KnobbI«-r  «»r  krir)hlt'r,  n  hart  or  Htac  in  its  sofond  year. 

*  IIiirnblcH  or  nniMfs.       fntrails. 

*  Milhii.s  r-Mtirimtc*!  that  tli«'  Newfoundland  caribou  nould  swim  at 
thr  ratf  of  five  miles  an  hour. 


184  CAPTAIN    CART^VRIGHT'S 

work  to  come  up  with  the  staggard.  I  also  shot 
a  duck,  and  saw  a  prodigious  number  of  geese. 

Monday,  October  30,  1775.  I  went  round  my 
walk;  and  one  of  the  traps  which  were  tailed  for 
otters  was  struck  up,  and  I  had  a  porcupine  in 
another.  Several  large  flocks  of  ducks  flew  close 
past  Brocket  Point.  Finding  myself  much  weak- 
ened by  wearing  flannel  shirts,  I  this  day  put  on 
a  linen  one,  and  intend  wearing  no  others  in 
future. 

Tuesday,  October  31,  1775.  I  went  with  Jack  to 
Earl  Island;  we  shifted  one  of  his  traps  there, 
and  saw  the  fresh  slot  of  a  deer.  Had  linen  sheets 
put  upon  my  bed  instead  of  flannel  ones. 

Friday,  November  3,  1775.  At  three  this  after- 
noon the  Otter  arrived  from  Charles  Harbour, 
from  w^hence  she  sailed  the  twenty-second  of  last 
month,  with  thirteen  hands  to  complete  the  crews 
here.  They  informed  me,  that  the  gale  of  wind, 
which  happened  here  on  the  eleventh  of  Septem- 
ber, reached  that  place  on  the  twelfth,  and  did 
infinite  mischief  both  on  this  coast,  and  all  round 
Newfoundland.  Our  ship  the  Earl  of  Dartmouth 
was  driven  on  shore  and  greatly  damaged,  but 
was  got  off  and  repaired;  our  two  shallops  were 
driven  on  shore;  one  almost  beat  to  pieces,  and 
the  other  much  damaged;  the  planter's  boat  was 
wrecked;  four  out  of  five  of  Noble  and  Pinson's 
vessels  were  driven  on  shore  and  bulged;  several 
of  their  boats  were  wrecked  in  Lance  Cove;  seven 
others  were  driven  over  to  Newfoundland  and 
there    lost,    together    with   twenty-eight    out    of 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  185 

twenty-nine  men;  Thomas's  brig  was  wrecked; 
Coglilairs  sloop  driven  on  shore;  vast  quantities 
of  fish  spoiled;  and  every  stage  and  wharf  on  the 
coast  were  washed  down,  ours  among  the  rest; 
and  that  nothing  which  was  afloat,  except  the  Man 
of  War,  one  of  Noble  and  Pinson's  vessels,  and 
this  shalloway,  had  ridden  it  out.  The  Otter  was 
near  being  lost  last  night;  she  ran  into  Berry 
Island  Tickle  in  the  dark,  and  at  low  water, 
grounded  and  beat  a  good  deal,  l)ut  fortunately 
the  bottom  was  smooth  sand,  and  she  received  no 
injury. 

SiDidaif,  December  10,  1775.  The  sealers  cut 
out  the  net  at  Brocket  Point,  and  had  two  bed- 
lamers  in  it;  the  still  part  of  the  harbour  having 
been  frozen  ever  since  the  third  instant.  Jack  and 
I  took  a  walk  to  the  top  of  the  high  hill  on  the 
south  side  of  Great  Marsh,  from  whence  we  saw 
two  pools  which  lie  upon  the  Laar.  We  went  up 
the  west  side  of  the  hill,  which  rises  gradually  and 
is  well  clothed  with  wood;  but,  as  we  found  the 
walking  ver}^  bad,  by  reason  of  the  great  depth 
and  lightness  of  the  snow,  I  determined  to  descend 
on  the  east  side,  being  much  deeper,  and  where 
but  few  trees  grow:  we  got  on  very  well  for  a 
little  way,  but  coming  to  the  top  of  a  precijiice, 
we  found  ourselves  to  be  in  a  very  unpleasant 
situation;  for  we  could  not  get  Inr,  cilliei'  to  the 
right  or  the  left,  nor  was  it  possi])]e  to  mount  the 
hill  again,  on  account  of  its  steepness  and  the 
depth  of  the  snow.  AVe  were  therefore  reduced 
to  the  alternative,  either  of  remaining  where  we 


186  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

were  to  perish  with  cold  or  of  dropping  over  the 
precipice,  which  was  at  least  twenty  feet  high,  at 
the  risk  of  breaking  our  bones  on  the  fragments 
of  rocks  beneath,  unless  they  were  sufficiently  cov- 
ered with  snow  to  break  our  fall.  On  searching 
my  pockets,  I  found  a  fathom  of  cod-line,  one  end 
of  which  I  tied  to  a  small  birch  tree,  which  grew 
close  to  the  top,  eased  myself  down  over  the  edge, 
and  then  dropped  as  soft  as  on  a  feather-bed;  and 
Jack  followed  in  the  same  manner;  our  guns, 
rackets,  and  hatchets,  having  been  previously 
thrown  down.  We  soon  after  came  into  Laar 
Cove,  and  returned  home  along  the  back-shore,  on 
which  we  found  a  yellow-fox  and  a  marten  in  two 
of  my  traps. 

Thursday,  December  21, 1775.  We  had  a  capital 
silver-fox,  a  good  cross-fox,  and  a  marten  in  the 
traps,  and  shot  a  spruce-game.  Many  foxes  had 
been  in  my  walk,  and  several  of  my  traps  were 
robbed.  I  gave  out  twenty-one  traps  to  the  seal- 
ers. I  have  now  thirty-one  in  my  walk,  and  Jack 
has  nineteen  in  his. 

Sunday,  December  24,  1775.  Jack  and  I  looked 
at  our  traps  and  each  of  us  brought  in  a  yellow- 
fox.  The  sealers,  according  to  custom,  began  to 
usher  in  Christmas,  by  getting  shamefully  drunk. 

Thursday,  January  4,  1776.  I  sent  John  Hayes 
and  one  of  the  western  furriers  to  reconnoitre  the 
country  about  Cape  North,  and  the  rest  of  us  went 
round  our  traps.  The  eastern  furriers  followed 
the  wolf  which  carried  oif  the  trap  yesterday,  and 
met  with  it  near  Goose  Cove ;  it  proved  a  grizzled 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  187 


bitch,  weighed  forty-nine  pounds,  stood  twentj'- 
seven  inches  high,  and,  from  her  nose-end  to  her 
rmnp,  measured  three  feet  seven  inches.  Another 
wolf  followed  my  track  of  yesterday,  to  seven  of 
my  tra})s,  one  of  which  he  struck  up  but  would 
not  meddle  with  the  rest.  I  had  a  loin  of  wolf, 
and  part  of  a  loin  of  white-bear  roasted  for  my 
dinner;  tlie  former  was  the  sweetest,  but  the  lat- 
ter, b}^  much  the  tenderest  of  the  two. 

Monday,  Januarij  15,  1776.  All  hands  went 
round  the  traps,  which  were  found  drifted  up;  I 
had  a  raven's  beak  in  one,  and  a  marten  had  been 
cauglit  in  the  spring-snare,  but  carried  it  off  by 
cutting  the  line.  My  feet  were  on  the  point  of 
freezing  the  whole  time  I  was  out  although  they 
were  well  defended  by  flannel  and  Indian  boots: 
the  little  finger  of  my  left  hand  was  burnt  from 
end  to  end,  by  touching  a  trap  as  I  was  tailing  it; 
but  I  soon  took  the  frost  out  of  it  by  the  immediate 
application  of  snow.  This  accident  brought  a 
couplet  of  Iludibras  to  my  recollection:   he  says, 

"  And   many  dangers  shall   environ, 
The  man  who  meddles  with  cold  iron;  " 

which  so  tickled  my  fancy,  that  I  could  not  help 
repeating  it  all  the  rest  of  the  day. 

Sunday,  January  21,  1776.  T  made  prepara- 
tions for  a  ci'uise  on  a  party  of  pleasure. 

Monday,  January  22,  1776.  At  half  past  seven 
this  morin'nc:,  taking  four  men  with  me,  and  our 
provisions  on  two  Nescaupick  sleds,  one  drawn  by 
two  NewfouiHllaiid  dogs,  the  other  by  two  of  the 


188  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

men  by  turns,  I  set  off  for  Isthmus  Bay,  and  ar- 
rived there  at  half  past  three  o'clock.  We  went 
to  the  best  inn  in  the  place,  which  was  a  spot  of 
strong  wood,  under  a  hill  on  the  west  side,  and 
there  made  a  good  fire,  by  which  we  lay.  By  the 
way,  we  met  with  two  cross-foxes  in  a  couple  of 
my  traps,  and  saw  a  silver-fox  by  the  South  Hare 
Island,  and  also  some  old  tracks  of  wolves. 

Clear,  mild  weather  all  day,  and  till  midnight. 

Tuesday,  January  23,  1776.  At  one  o'clock  this 
morning,  it  began  to  blow,  snow,  and  drift  exceed- 
ingly hard,  insomuch  that  we  could  not  go  out  of 
the  wood. 

Wednes.,  January  24,  1776.  At  five  this  morn- 
ing the  gale  and  drift  abated,  but  it  continued  to 
snow  till  ten  o'clock;  we  then  went  out,  crossed 
the  bay  and  walked  upon  the  cape  land,  but  saw 
neither  deer  nor  fresh  slot;  from  which  I  conclude 
that  they  are  gone  upon  the  outer  islands.  From 
the  top  of  Mount  Marten  I  could  not  see  any  water 
at  sea,  although  I  could  plainly  discern  Wolf  Is- 
land, which  is  thirteen  leagues  off.  We  returned 
to  our  quarters  at  three  in  the  afternoon,  when 
it  began  to  snow  again,  and  held  it  all  night.  We 
observed,  that  a  fox  had  been  very  near  the  fire; 
and,  although  the  dogs  were  tied  up  there,  he  had 
the  impudence  to  gnaw  a  hole  in  a  bag  and  carry 
off  a  piece  of  pork. 

Thursday,  January  25,  1776.  It  continued  to 
snow  till  half  past  ten  this  morning,  when  it 
cleared  up  and  we  set  off  homewards.  The  fox 
came  again  last  night,  and  we  having  secured  our 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  189 

provisious,  he  revenged  himself  by  cutting  the 
harness  from  the  sled,  and  carrying  it  oft";  to- 
gether with  a  racket,  which  distressed  us  not  a 
little,  however  we  repaired  the  loss  in  the  best 
manner  we  could.  Tlie  day  was  severe,  the  wind 
in  our  faces,  and  the  snow  soft,  which  made  it 
laborious  walking.  Finding  the  people  could  not 
keep  pace  Avith  me,  I  pushed  forward  by  mj^self, 
and  felt  very  stout  until  I  passed  Black  Head;  but 
then,  the  snow  growing  lighter  and  deeper,  (by 
being  sheltered  from  drift)  I  sunk  up  to  my  knees 
even  in  Indian  rackets,  and  soon  was  tired  so  com- 
pletely, that  it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  T 
got  home;  and  even  when  within  gun-shot  of  my 
own  house,  I  was  almost  ready  to  lie  down  and 
give  it  up.  I  got  home  at  half  j^ast  five  in  the  eve- 
ning, and  sent  four  men  to  meet  the  others,  who 
did  not  get  in  till  eight  o'clock,  and  were  as  much 
tired  as  myself;  had  I  not  sent  them  assistance, 
they  most  likel}^  would  have  perished.  The  dis- 
tance from  hence  to  Isthmus  Bay,  I  judge  to  be 
fifteen  miles.  A  good  silver-fox  was  brought  out 
of  one  of  my  traps  on  Monda}^  and  Jack  had  a 
white  one  on  Wednesday. 

SiDiday,  Jmniary  28,  1776.  Dull,  severe 
weathei-.  Notwithstanding  the  weather  is  so 
extremely  severe,  yet  the  cold  feels  healthy  and 
pleasant;  much  more  so  than  the  winters  of 
Europe;  noi'  does  it  ever  cause  a  person  to 
shake. 

TJiursddji,  P\'hrunrj/  1,  1776.  The  business  of 
this  day  was  as  follows:   the  eastern  runiers  had 


190  CAPTAIN    CAET WRIGHT'S 

a  cross-fox  and  carried  out  two  more  traps  from 
the  cat-path.  Also,  Jack  shot  a  spruce-game.  A 
prodigious  number  of  foxes  had  been  every  where. 
The  glow  of  the  snow  was  offensive  to  my  eyes 
today,  for  the  first  time. 

Saturday,  February  17,  1776.  Jack,  P.  Hayes, 
and  I  went  round  our  traps;  the  former  carried 
the  three  which  he  brought  home  yesterday  to 
Diver  Island.  As  I  was  returning  home,  I  dis- 
covered a  wolf  at  one  of  Hayes's  traps  in  Great 
Marsh ;  I  watched  him  with  my  glass  and  saw  him 
go  a  great  number  of  times  round  it,  trying  to  rob 
it  from  every  side,  but  without  accomplishing  his 
purpose;  he  then  went  to  another,  which  he  tried 
in  the  same  manner,  but  not  so  long,  and  after- 
wards turning  into  Laar  Cove,  took  my  footing, 
and  robbed  six  of  ni}^  traps  in  succession,  by  dig- 
ging at  the  backs  of  them.  I  waylayed  him  at  the 
seventh,  and  waited  for  him  as  long  as  the  severity 
of  the  frost  would  permit  me,  and  should  have 
killed  him,  could  I  have  remained  there  a  little 
longer;  but  being  almost  frozen  stiff,  I  walked 
gently  towards  him,  and  when  he  perceived  me, 
he  went  off  into  the  woods.  I  lost  another  trap 
in  the  drift. 

Tuesday,  February  20,  1776.  P.  Hayes,  Jack, 
and  I  went  to  our  traps;  the  former  saw  a  wolf 
in  Great  Marsh,  and  two  others  were  all  round, 
and  even  walked  over  my  house  last  night;  one 
of  them  visited  some  of  my  traps,  robbed  the 
spring  snare,  and  cut  the  line  it  was  tied  by. 
Three  were  about  Jack's  traps  on  Diver  Island:  in 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  191 

short,  they  are  uo^v  so  very  plentiful,  that  their 
tracks  are  to  be  met  with  every  where. 

Wednes.,  FehrKari/  21,  1776.  All  hands  visited 
their  traps;  some  wolves  had  been  round  them  all, 
and  P.  Hayes  had  an  old  grizzled  one.  At  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  as  I  was  standing  at  the 
door,  I  observed  a  wolf  going  down  the  tickle,  by 
the  side  of  the  water  which  is  not  frozen,  and  stop 
at  the  lower  end.  Taking  my  gun  and  dog  I  went 
towards  him;  but  he  never  took  the  least  notice 
of  the  dog,  until  he  got  within  a  few  yards  of  him, 
and  then  went  off  in  a  gentle  canter,  making  a 
running  fight:  the  dog  soon  left  him  and  went 
to  the  water 'side;  at  the  same  time  I  saw  Jack 
creep  down  and  fire  a  shot,  which  T  supposed  was 
at  a  seal.  When  I  returned  home,  the  boy  soon 
after  came  in  and  informed  me,  that  the  wolf  had 
chased  a  deer  into  the  water,  and  that  it  was  still 
there.  I  went  with  him  immediately,  and  shot  it 
through  the  head:  it  proved  an  old,  dr}^  hind,  was 
with  calf  and  very  fat:  the  head  and  carcass 
weighed  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  pounds. 

Thursday,  February  22,  1776.  Jack  and  I  went 
round  our  traps,  and  he  brought  home  three, 
which  were  all  that  remained  on  the  south  side 
of  the  harlxjui'.  Thank  God,  T  had  some  venison 
for  dinner  to-day;  having  scarce  tasted  any  thing 
for  these  ten  weeks  past,  except  white-bear, 
wolves,  and  foxes.  I  have  so  gi'eat  a  dislike  to 
salted  meat,  that  I  woidd  rather  eat  any  animal 
whatsoever  tliat  is  fresh,  than  the  best  beef  or 
pork  that  is  salted. 


192  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

Saturday,  February  24, 1776.  I  went  with  Jack 
round  Diver  Island:  a  wolf  had  visited  several  of 
his  traps,  and  had  been  caught  in  the  last,  but  had 
got  out  again.  At  the  west  end  of  the  island  we 
met  with  the  fresh  slot  of  a  deer,  which  I  followed 
to  the  top  of  the  westernmost  hill,  where  I  ob- 
served a  wolf  had  attacked  a  deer;  and,  from 
observing  some  ravens,  I  believe  he  had  killed  it 
in  the  woods  on  the  north  side;  but  the  weather 
then  coming  on  so  exceedingly  bad,  I  made  the 
best  of  my  way  home,  and  was  met  by  four  men 
who  were  in  quest  of  me.  After  some  difficulty 
in  finding  the  road  we  arrived  safe.  I  observed 
that  numbers  of  foxes  and  martens  traverse  the 
woods  on  that  island,  in  quest  of  spruce-game  and 
rabbits;  which,  from  their  tracks,  must  be  very 
plentiful. 

Friday,  March  1,  1776.  Jack  went  to  one  of  his 
traps  on  Earl  Island  and  brought  a  rabbit:  on 
examining  it,  I  find  the  white  coat  is  an  additional 
one  which  is  got  in  autumn,  and  will  lose  it  again 
in  spring;  it  is  composed  of  long,  coarse,  king- 
hairs:  the  summer  fur-coat  remaining  under- 
neath, and  retaining  its  colour. 

Clear,  sharp,  frosty  weather,  with  much  drift  all 
day. 

Tuesday,  March  12,  1776.  P.  Hayes,  Jack,  and 
I  visited  our  traps;  a  wolf  had  robbed  one  of  mine 
and  looked  at  some  others.  I  also  went  to  Laar 
Pond,  and  from  thence  to  the  top  of  a  high  hill, 
which  lies  between  it  and  Goose  Cove,  from 
whence  I  had  a  good  view  of  the  country  round 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  193 

about.  It  is  very  mountainous,  with  but  few 
ponds  or  marshes,  and  covered  with  bad  wood, 
which  is  chiefly  small,  old,  stunted,  black-spruce. 
I  observed  a  chain  of  ponds,  or  marshes  run  from 
the  south  side  of  Goose  Cove,  across  to  Table  Bay; 
a  small  part  of  which,  I  could  see.  The  Gannet 
Islands  on  one  side,  and  AVolf  Islands  on  the  other 
were  plainly  to  be  discerned,  but  tlicre  was  no 
water  in  sight.  From  the  Gannet  Islands  in- 
wards, the  ice  was  new  made,  and  clear  of  snow; 
without,  was  the  main  jam,  perfectl}'  firm.  To 
the  northward,  the  coast  is  low,  with  many  small 
islands;  from  which  I  judge  it  would  be  danger- 
ous to  navigate  from  hence  to  sea  that  way.  On 
the  hill  there  was  much  tracking  of  grouse  and 
some  of  spruce-game  in  the  woods;  also,  signs  of 
porcupines,  but  I  could  find  none.  I  was  pleas- 
ingly entertained  with  the  melodious  singing  of 
the  cross-beaked  linnets;'  they  remain  all  winter 
with  us,  and  feed  on  the  seeds  of  black  spruce. 
WTiat  made  their  music  more  agreeable,  was  the 
novelty;  this  being  the  first  time  that  I  have  heard 
the  note  of  any  bird  this  year,  except  the  jay,^ 
which  chants  its  shrn't  coarse  tune  every  mild  day 
thi-()ugh  the  whole  winter. 

TJtursdajf,  March  14^  1776.    As  I  was  going  to 

'  Probably  the  white-winged  rrossbill,  Loxia  leucojitcra,  part  of  whoBC 
Bong,  wfiich  is  very  melodiouH,  resembles  that  of  the  canary.  The  song 
of  the  American  crossbill,  Loxin  currirofttra  miiinr,  althonp;h  sweet  is  not 
so  pleasing.  This  latter  species  probably  spends  the  winter  farther  to 
the  south. 

'  Labraflor  jay,  Pcrisomis  ranndcn.sis  nigrirn/nlhis.  I'or  a  dis<'n.«sifin 
of  this  subject  of  the  song  of  the  jay,  see  T<iuns(ii(I  .iiKt  Allen,  "  Hirds 
of  Labrador,"  Boston,   1007,  p.  380. 


194  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

bed  to  niglit  I  perceived  myself  to  be  attacked 
with  scurvy.^  I  have  long  had  some  trifling  com- 
plaints, to  which  I  have  paid  no  attention;  but 
why  I  should  now  have  the  scurvy  I  cannot  imag- 
ine, as  I  have  tasted  very  little  salted  flesh,  or  fish, 
for  these  twelve  months  past;  have  drank  great 
plenty  of  good  spruce-beer,  but  no  drams  of  any 
kind,  nor  have  I  been  the  least  heated  with  liquor: 
I  have  used  a  great  deal  of  exercise :  having  walked 
out  every  day  that  a  man  dare  shew  his  nose  to 
the  weather,  unless  detained  by  indisposition,  or 
business;  neither  of  which  has  often  happened, 
and  I  was  always  out  from  three  to  six  hours; 
sometimes  more. 

Friday^  March  15,  1776.  Early  this  morning  I 
sent  the  Bay-men  off.  Jack  and  I  went  round  our 
traps;  my  old  plague  the  wolf  had  struck  up  one, 
and  robbed  two  more:  I  believe  this  scoundrel  is 
one  of  those  which  got  out  of  some  of  the  traps 
before,  as  he  follows  me  every  night,  and  is  so 
cunning  that  he  will  not  go  fair  uj^on  them;  but 
if  he  does  not  take  care  of  himself,  I  will  be  the 
death  of  him  yet.  I  tailed  two  more  traps  in  my 
walk. 

Saturday,  March  16, 1776.  Jack  and  I  went  our 
rounds;  he  had  two  martens,  and  some  of  my 
traps  had  been  robbed  by  foxes,  of  which  there 
had  been  a  good  run.  I  tailed .  another,  which 
make  thirty-four  small  and  two  large  ones. 

Severe  frost  in  the  morning,  less,  the  rest  of  the 

*  I  am  inclined  to  think  his  diagnosis  was  incorrect,  as  his  diet  was 
largely  fresh  meat. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  195 

da}';  clear  with  hot  sun,  and  very  warm  out  of  the 
wind. 

Sunday,  March  17,  1776.  This  being  St.  Pat- 
rick's Day,  the  people  as  usual,  got  beastly  drunk. 
I  sent  Jack  i-ound  my  walk,  and  he  brought  the 
fore-half  of  a  good  cross-fox ;  the  cursed  wolf  had 
eaten  the  rest. 

Wednes.,  March  20,  1776.  Jack  and  I  went 
round  our  traps;  I  shot  an  American  bullfinch,^ 
which  is  as  large  as  an  English  thrush.  They 
come  here  in  spring  to  breed,  and  leave  us  at  the 
latter  end  of  summer;  this  bird  was  full  of  par- 
tridge-berries. 

Wednes.,  April  3,  1776.  At  three  o'clock  this 
morning  Nooquashock,  the  eldest  Lidia  w^oman, 
was  taken  in  labour:  my  skill  in  these  matters, 
was  now  fairly  put  to  the  test,  for  she  had  both 
a  cross  birth  and  twins,  but  at  two  in  the  after- 
noon, I  delivered  her  of  a  brace  of  daughters.  I 
then  visited  my  traps,  and  had  a  marten;  another 
had  been  at  the  seal,  but  the  traps  were  so  loaded 
with  wet  snow,  they  could  not  strike  up.  Several 
foxes,  and  some  wcJves  had  looked  at  many  of 
them,  Ijut  they  would  not  meddle  with  any. 

Sunday,  April  7,  1776.  T  went  round  some  of 
my  traps,  and  found  six  of  them  robbed  by  foxes, 
and  five  out  of  the  seven  about  the  seal,  struck  up; 
a  mart  en  was  in  one,  and  a  jay  had  been  eaten  out 
of  another;  the  other  three,  T  fancy  had  been 
stnu'k   up  by  jays.      At   three   o'clock   the   deer- 

'  Canfidian  pinf  (rrofhonk,  Pinirojn  rmirlmlor  Iciinirn.  Cnrtwrighfc 
lator  Hpeaks  of  the  American  robin  under  the  name  of  the  robin-rcd-hrcast. 


196  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

hunters  returned  and  brought  a  marten  which 
they  had  shot  as  it  was  feeding  upon  their  provi- 
sions. 

Friday,  April  12,  1776.  In  the  afternoon  I  per- 
ceived a  bitch  white-bear,  and  a  cub  of  last  year 
coming  down  the  harbour  on  the  ice;  we  all  got 
our  guns  and  waited  until  they  came  within  half 
a  mile  of  the  house,  when  they  winded  it  and 
turned  off  for  Earl  Island:  I  then  slipped  the 
greyhound  and  we  all  gave  chase.  As  soon  as  the 
dog  got  near  them,  the  old  bear  turned  about  and 
attacked  him  with  the  greatest  fury;  she  made 
several  strokes  at  him  with  her  fore-paws,  but  by 
his  agility  he  avoided  the  blows.  He  then  quitted 
the  bitch  and  pursued  the  cub,  which  he  caught 
near  the  island  and  pulled  it  down,  but  was  obliged 
to  desist  on  the  approach  of  the  enraged  dam.  As 
he  would  not  fasten  on  her  behind,  both  of  them 
gained  the  island  at  the  time  we  got  up  within 
fifty  yards  of  them,  when  two  of  the  people  fired, 
and  I  snapped  my  rifle  several  times,  but  without 
effect,  as  the  main-spring  I  afterwards  found  was 
broke.  Two  of  the  people  followed  them  for  some 
distance  into  the  woods,  but,  as  they  had  not  their 
rackets  and  the  snow  was  very  rotten,  they  could 
not  overtake  them. 

Thursday,  April  18,  1776.  I  sowed  some  mus- 
tard, cresses,  and  onions  in  a  tub,  and  hung  it  up 
in  the  kitchen. 

It  rained  all  day,  but  cleared  in  the  evening. 

Friday,  April  19,  1776.  Jack  and  I  went  round 
our  traps;  he  shot  a  grouse  on  the  hill,  where  we 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  197 

saw  live,  and  in  the  evening  he  went  there  again 
and  killed  another;  they  are  beginning  to  change 
colour  now.  Several  saddlebacks  ^  and  a  pair  of 
eagles  were  seen  to  day;  and  from  the  top  of  the 
hill  I  coidd  perceive  that  the  ice  was  broken  up 
on  the  outside  of  Sandy  Point.  By  the  saddle- 
backs coming  up  here,  1  am  certain  that  the  ice 
is  gone  off  the  coast,  so  far  as  to  leave  a  clear 
passage  all  along  shore. 

A  clear  day,  with  gentle  frost. 

Saturday^  April  20,  J 776.  We  went  our  rounds 
as  usual,  and  upon  Great  ^larsh  Jack  saw  a  wolf 
struggling  in  one  of  his  small,  double-spring  traps; 
but  just  as  he  got  tip  to  him,  one  of  the  springs 
came  off  and  he  got  away.  The  boy  then  shot  him 
through  the  flank  with  a  ball,  and  piu'sued  him  a 
long  way  into  the  woods;  but  not  being  able  to 
come  u])  with  him,  he  turned  up  to  the  top  of  the 
hill  which  I  was  upon  the  twelfth  ult.  from  whence 
he  could  see  that  the  ice  was  driven  some  distance 
off  the  coast,  and  was  broken  up  as  high  as  the 
west  end  of  the  north  Hare  Island.  He  brought 
lioiiH'  a  porcupine  and  a  spruce-game.  The  tickles 
are  daily  breaking  up  slowly;  the  snow  goes  off 
fast;  and,  as  we  have  not  had  so  nnich  as  usual 
this  last  wintei',  T  expect  it  will  all  l)e  gone  early. 
Plenty  of  saddlebacks  come  up  here,  and  there 
are  now  many  flocks  of  snowbirds.^ 

Friday,  April  26,  1776.  Jack  and  I  went  round 
our  traps;    ho  had  n  silver  fox  and  a  wolvering. 

'Or  grout  bliuk-back'-fl  null,   I.arun  vinrivun. 

*  He  refers  probably  to  the  snow  bunting,  Plectrohenax  nivalia. 


198  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

He  also  went  on  the  top  of  Black  head,  where  he 
saw  much  tracking  of  foxes. 

Tuesday,  April  30 ,  1776.  At  noon,  a  pair  of 
geese  came  into  the  tickle,  and  at  two  o'clock  a 
brace  of  wolves  came  over  from  the  south  side  of 
the  harbour,  directly  towards  the  house;  I  waited 
to  receive  them  at  the  door,  but  they  either  winded 
or  saw  the  smoke,  and  turned  down  the  harbour 
before  they  came  within  shot.  I  immediately  ran 
to  the  top  of  Signal  Hill,  expecting  they  would 
get  into  some  of  the  traps,  but  they  made  a 
streight  course  to  Huntingdon  Island.  I  sent 
Jack  to  try  for  ducks,  and  he  saw  plenty  going  to 
the  northward,  but  killed  none. 

Friday,  May  3,  1776.  At  six  o'clock  this  morn- 
ing, I  took  my  station  on  the  top  of  Signal  Hill,  to 
watch  for  deer,  which,  at  this  time  of  the  year,  are 
generally  travelling  to  the  northward.  At  ten  I 
discovered  two  hinds  and  a  calf  come  round  Black 
Head  upon  the  ice,  and  make  towards  Great 
Marsh.  I  got  within  eighty  yards  of  them  and 
fired  at  one,  but  being  greatly  out  of  wind  I  missed 
it.  From  thence  they  went  out  upon  Cartwright 
Harbour  and  I  followed;  Jack  headed  them  and 
turned  them  back,  I  then  slipped  the  greyhound 
and  we  had  a  very  fine  course.  The  dog  gained 
fast  on  them  so  long  as  he  had  bare,  rough  ice  to 
run  upon,  but  he  lost  ground  when  he  landed,  the 
snow  being  both  deep  and  rotten  upon  the  ground. 
However,  he  pursued  them  across  the  marsh  and 
part  of  Huntingdon  Harbour,  but  there  gave  them 
up,  and  they  went  to  Huntingdon  Island.    I  meas- 


LAiJKADOR    .JOURNAL  199 

ured  the  length  of  their  stroke  at  full  speed  and 
found  it  to  be  sixteen  feet  on  an  average. 

Wedues.,  May  8,  1776.  At  three  o'clock  this 
morning  I  took  John  Haves,  his  crew,  Jack,  the 
greyhound,  and  two  Newfoimdland  dogs  with  me, 
intending  to  kiuncli  the  skiff  into  the  water,  and 
go  a  duck  shooting.  As  they  were  hauling  her 
along,  I  went  forward  to  Pumbly  Point,  from 
whence  I  discovered  a  white-bear  lying  on  the  ice 
near  Huntingdon  Island;  we  left  the  skiff,  and 
all  hands  went  towards  him,  but  finding  the  ice 
extremely  weak  in  the  middle  of  the  channel  we 
stopped.  I  then  sent  one  man  round  to  drive  him 
towards  us:  in  the  mean  time  the  bear  went  into 
a  pool  of  water  which  was  open  near  the  island, 
and  the  man  got  on  the  other  side  and  fired  at 
him;  but  as  he  did  not  come  out  so  soon  as  I  ex- 
pected, I  sent  the  rest  of  the  people  back  for  the 
skiff,  intending  to  launch  it  into  the  water  to  him. 
He  soon  after  got  upon  the  ice,  and  came  close 
up  to  me.  I  could  have  sent  a  ball  through  him; 
but  as  I  wished  to  have  some  sport  first,  I  slipped 
the  greyhound  at  him,  but  he  would  not  close  with 
him  1  ill  the  Newfoundland  dogs  came  up;  we  then 
had  a  tine  battle,  and  they  stopped  him  until  I  got 
close  up.  As  I  was  laying  down  one  gun,  that  I 
might  fire  at  him  with  the  other,  I  o])served  the 
ice  wliirli  I  was  iiiioii,  lo  ))e  so  A'cry  weak  llial  it 
bf'iit  iiiidcr  nic;  aiid  I  was  at  llic  sanic  tiiiic  sui'- 
roundcd  with  small  holes,  thi'ou^h  which  the 
water  boiled  up,  by  the  motion  of  the  ice,  caused 
by  my  weight.     As  I  knew  the  water  there  was 


200  CAPTAIN    CART  WEIGHT'S 

twenty-five  fathoms  deep,  with  a  strong  tide,  my 
attention  was  diverted,  from  attempting  to  take 
away  the  life  of  a  bear,  to  the  safety  of  my  own; 
and  while  I  was  extricating  myself  from  the 
danger  w^hich  threatened  me,  the  bear  bit  all  the 
dogs  most  severely,  and  made  good  his  retreat  into 
the  open  water,  which  was  at  some  distance  lower 
down.  Soon  after  he  got  upon  the  ice  again,  and 
made  tow^ards  the  brook  in  Goose  Cove,  when  we 
all  gave  chase  a  second  time,  and  some  of  the 
people  came  up  wdth  him  at  the  mouth  of  the 
brook,  but  he  got  into  the  woods,  and  they  could 
not  follow  him  for  want  of  their  rackets.  While 
this  w^as  doing,  Hayes  made  me  a  signal,  and  I 
soon  perceived  eleven  deer  upon  the  ice,  near 
Pumbly  Point,  coming  downwards;  I  waylayed 
them  at  a  point  of  one  of  the  largest  islands,  but 
should  not  have  had  a  shot,  had  they  not,  when 
they  came  abreast  of  me,  seen  the  people  returning 
from  the  chase  of  the  bear.  An  old  stag  then 
turned  towards  me  and  came  within  a  hundred 
and  twenty  yards,  when  I  fired  and  killed  him 
dead;  the  rest,  which  were  hinds  and  calves,  then 
pushed  forward  for  Hare  Island  Tickle.  We  then 
broke  the  deer  up,  and  made  a  very  hearty  meal 
on  his  humbles,  which  occasioned  my  naming  the 
island,  FiUheUy.  After  which  we  hauled  up  the 
skiff  on  Pumlily  Point,  and  returned  home  with 
the  venison.  In  Goose  Cove  we  saw  the  tracks 
of  several  w^hite-bears,  and  the  slot  of  many  deer; 
the  latter  had  lately  frequented  Pillbelly  very 
much. 


LABRxVDOR    JOURNAL  201 

Ffidiii/,  May  10,  1776.  After  breakfast  I  sent 
the  iiuliaii  wouien  to  Signal  Hill  to  pick 
partridge-berries  ^  and  watch  for  deer.  I  then 
placed  myself  upon  the  ice,  in  the  middle  of  the 
harbour,  and  at  four  o'clock  they  made  me  a 
signal:  soon  after,  seven  deer  came  full  gallop  out 
of  Great  Mai'sh,  but  kee|)iug  near  the  north  shore, 
they  passed  me  at  three  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
distance.  I  then  fired  two  guns  without  effect, 
and  they  ran  up  the  harbour.  They  seldom  travel 
so  late  in  the  day,  but,  as  the  frost  did  not  go  off 
till  the  afternoon,  they  durst  not  venture  on  the 
ice  before  the  surface  of  it  was  thawed,  for  the 
wolves  can  kill  them  with  the  greatest  ease  upon 
slippery  ice. 

Clear  with  sharp  frost  till  one  o'clock;  hazy 
with  thaw  afterwai'ds,  and  it  snowed  fast  at  night. 

lliur.sdn/f,  Maij  16,  1776.  One  man  watched  the 
deer  as  usual;  the  rest  of  the  people  were  em- 
ployed in  cutting  the  ice  round  the  shalloway,  and 
in  junking  up  the  fire-wood.  Some  liotmds  -  and  a 
loon  appeared  today  foi*  tlic  first  time. 

A  little  snow  in  the  nioi*ning,  some  sleet  and  rain 
in  the  afternoon,  and  at  night  it  rained  freely; 
thawed  all  day. 

Si(n<l(i!i,  JiDir  9,  1776.  At  eight  o'clock  this 
inoi-niiig,  I  wcnl  out  .-i  egging  with  all  hands.  John 

'  Hp  fJoo.s  not  rcff-r  to  Milrhdhi  rrpevft.  tho  "  partridKo  borry,"  com- 
mon in  Nova  Scotia  and  farther  souUi,  hiif  probably  to  Vaccinium 
Vilix-Jflnen. 

^  Old  squaw  or  loriK-tailfd  diifk,  IfnrrMn  hi/rninh'/t.  ITiis  name  is 
still  uhihI  for  this  spfcics  on  tfir  I.:d)r:idf)r  coMst,  and  is  an  appropriate 
ono  afl  tho  rallH  of  thctw  ducks  HUKK<'«t  a  pack  of  hounds  in  full  cry. 


202  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

Hayes  went  down  the  eastern  passage,  in  one 
skiff,  and  brougiit  ten  ducks,  a  tern,  a  gull,  and  a 
hundred  and  thirty-six  eggs;  and  four  hands  and 
Jack  went  along  with  me  in  another  skiff,  over 
the  Flats,  and  visited  some  of  the  islands  there: 
we  brought  in  a  beaver,  a  goose,  a  bottle-nosed 
diver,  five  ducks,  four  strangers,  and  three  hun- 
dred and  seventeen  eggs.  We  found  the  beaver 
upon  one  of  the  duck  islands,  but  what  he  was 
doing  there,  I  cannot  guess ;  at  first  I  thought  that 
he  had  been  sucking  eggs,  but  upon  opening  his* 
paunch,  I  could  find  no  signs  of  them.  We  landed 
on  Sandy  Head,  and  discovered  a  very  fine,  large 
river,  which  looks  likely  to  produce  plenty  of 
salmon,  to  which  I  gave  my  own  name;  the  bed 
of  it  is  sandy,  which  has  made  large  shoals  off  the 
mouth  of  it,  through  which  there  is  no  channel, 
and  at  low  water  spring-tides,  they  have  not  one 
foot  of  water  upon  them. 

A  dull  day,  with  fog  aloft. 

Thursday,  June  13,  1776.  In  the  evening  some 
of  the  people  came  down  from  Paradise,  and 
brought  three  of  the  new  skiffs;  both  the  crews 
there  had  been  living  on  bread  and  water  for  a 
fortnight  past.  Smith  brought  his  own  and  Math- 
er's fur  down  with  him:  the  whole  of  what  we 
have  killed  this  last  winter  and  spring,  amounts 
to  ten  deer,  one  white-bear,  six  wolves,  seven  wol- 
verings,  eighty-three  foxes,  eighty-six  martens, 
seven  otters,  two  minks,  one  beaver  and  one  flying 
squirrel. 

Wednes.,  July  3,  1776,    About  noon  hearing  an 


LABR.VBOR    JOURNAL  203 

imeuimiioii  uoise  on  the  south  of  the  harbour,  I 
went  over  in  my  kyaek,  and  found  it  was  a  bitch 
doater  with  her  whelp.  Great  quantities  of  sahnon 
eanie  in  from  sea  to-day. 

Our  voyage  is  absolutely  ruined,  by  a  vessel  not 
arriving  with  the  necessary  supplies. 

Satardaij,  July  6',  1776.  At  noon,  taking  all  my 
family,  and  a  tent  in  one  of  the  new  skiffs,  which 
I  have  appropriated  to  my  own  use,  and  called  the 
Roebuck,  I  set  out  on  a  cruise  of  pleasure  to  the 
eastward,  in  hopes  of  meeting  our  vessel.  I  tailed 
a  large  trap  for  bears  on  the  shore  under  Black 
Head,  then  went  to  Wreck  Island,  where  we  shot 
six  ducks,  gathered  sixty-one  eggs,  and  dined; 
after  which  they  landed  me  on  Huntingdon  Island, 
and  proceeded  to  Egg  Rock,  where  they  killed  six 
ducks,  two  pigeons,  and  gathered  two  hundred 
and  fifty  eggs.  This  is  the  fourth  time  that  this 
rock  has  been  robbed  this  year,  and  we  have  taken 
in  all,  about  a  thousand  eggs  off  it,  although  it  is 
not  above  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  long,  and 
fifteen  broad.  I  walked  across  the  marshes  to  the 
head  of  Egg  Harbour,  and  found  two  good  deer- 
paths  leading  into  it,  but  they  had  not  been  much 
used  this  year.  The  boat  met  me  there,  and  we 
pitched  the  tent  on  the  west  side;  great  numbers 
of  geese  and  ducks  were  there  on  our  arrival;  and 
we  s;iw  ])l('nty  of  ca])lin  every  where,  as  we  came 
down. 

Thursday,  July  11,  1776.  After  ])reakfast,  T 
went  to  the  water-side  ;i)i(I  <*;iuglit  a  few  caplin 
with  a  landing-net.     A1  noon  Jnclv  and  I  went  in 


204  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

the  skiff  a  few  yards  off  shore,  and  in  an  hour's 
time  we  caught  a  hundred  and  ten  cod,  although  he 
lost  both  his  hooks  soon  after  he  began.  I  then 
trouled  for  them  from  the  shore,  in  the  same 
manner  as  for  pike,  and  caught  them  as  fast  as  I 
could  throw  in.  In  the  evening  Jack  caught  a 
bushel  of  caplin  with  the  landing-net.  I  never  in 
my  life  saw  them  in  such  plenty,  nor  so  large. 

Friday,  July  19, 1776.  Observing  many  cod-fish 
to  come  close  in  to  the  shore,  where  the  water  was 
deep,  I  laid  myself  flat  upon  the  rock,  took  a  caplin 
by  the  tail,  and  held  it  in  the  water,  in  expectation 
that  a  cod  would  take  it  out  of  my  fingers ;  nor  was 
I  disappointed,  for  almost  instantly  a  fish  struck 
at,  and  seized  it;  and  no  sooner  had  one  snatched 
away  the  caplin,  than  another  sprang  out  of  the 
w^ater,  at  my  hand,  which  I  had  not  withdrawn, 
and  actually  caught  a  slight  hold  of  my  finger  and 
thumb.  Had  I  dipped  my  hand  in  the  water,  I  am 
convinced  they  would  soon  have  made  me  repent 
of  my  folly,  for  they  are  a  very  greedy,  bold  fish. 

Saturday,  July  20,  1776.  From  Black  Head  we 
perceived  the  Otter  crossing  the  Flats  for  the 
harbour,  and  soon  after  we  saw  a  vessel  at  an 
anchor  off  the  north  end  of  Huntingdon  Island; 
we  spoke  the  Otter  in  the  tickle,  and  found  captain 
Scott  on  board,  who  informed  me,  that  the  vessel 
was  a  snow  called  the  Two  Sisters,  commanded  by 
Robert  Maxwell,  which  he  had  chartered  to  bring 
out  our  supplies.  That  he  had  sold  both  our  own 
vessels,  and  that  my  brother  John  had  bought  the 
Earl  of  Dartmouth,  and  would  send  her  out  to  me 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  205 

with  supplies  on  my  own  account,  as  our  partner- 
ship was  to  terminate  at  the  end  of  this  sunmier. 

Wedius.,  July  24,  1776.  Tlie  fur  being  aired, 
I  valued  it  at  a  hundred  and  twent}^  eight  pounds. 

Friday,  July  26,  1776.  At  ten  o'clock  captain 
Scott  and  I  sailed  in  the  Otter  for  White-bear 
River,  and  arrived  there  at  sun-set;  but  w^e  got 
aground  about  half  a  mile  below  the  salmon-post. 
We  went  \\\)  in  the  skiff  and  found  spring  fish 
very  scarce,  but  poolers  were  in  toleral^le  plenty. 
Two  of  the  people  had  just  killed  a  cub  white- 
])ear  and  wounded  its  dam,  which  had  another  cub 
with  her.  They  killed  two  hundred  and  fourteen 
fish  to-day. 

Saturday,  July  27,  1776.  We  unloaded  the 
Otter.  After  breakfast  captain  Scott  and  I  went 
up  the  river  in  a  skiff  to  the  cataract,  below  which 
salmon  were  as  thick  as  they  could  lie;  I  tried 
them  with  fly,  but  could  not  raise  one.  We  killed 
foui-  hundred  and  fifty-six  fish  to-day. 

Sunday.  July  2S,  1776.  At  eleven  this  morning 
we  attempted  to  fall  down  the  river,  but  got 
aground  as  we  were  weighing  the  anchor.  In  the 
afternoon  I  discovered  a  very  large  white-bear 
coming  up  the  river,  upon  the  middle  ground: 
cai)tain  Scott  and  I  waylayed  him,  but  he  winded 
the  shalloway,  landed  on  the  south  side,  and  ran 
into  the  w^oods.  At  four  o'clock  we  got  under 
weigh,  and  fell  down  to  Nine-fathom  TTole,  where 
we  anchored  for  the  nii^^ht.  We  killed  one  hundred 
and  sixty-foui'  fish  1o-dn\'. 

Sunday,  Auf/usl  1,  1776.  Captain  Scott  returned 


206  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

this  morning,  and  informed  me,  that  just  before  he 
came  off,  a  bitch  white-bear  with  two  cubs  of  this 
year  came  upon  the  point  where  his  tent  was 
pitched,  and  got  into  his  skiff  to  search  for  fish, 
the  blood  of  which  they  winded;  the  bitch  then 
walked  on  for  Muddy  Bay,  but  the  cubs  loitered 
behind.  He  got  between  them  and  her,  and  fired 
at  one  of  them,  being  afraid  to  attack  their  dam; 
his  imprudence  was  near  being  fatal  to  him;  for 
she  immediately  turned  about  and  made  at  him, 
but  on  his  running  away,  and  the  cubs  joining  her 
unhurt,  she  was  contented,  and  pursued  her  in- 
tended route.  Wlienever  a  man  meets  with  a 
white-bear  and  cubs,  he  ought  either  to  kill  the 
dam,  or  let  them  all  alone ;  otherwise  his  own  life 
will  be  in  great  danger.  I  had  given  captain  Scott 
that  advice  before,  but- 1  will  engage  he  will  not 
slight  it  a  second  time,  for  I  never  knew  one  who 
did. 

Wednes.,  August  14,  1776.  We  unloaded  the 
Otter;  and  in  the  afternoon  I  took  all  hands,  ex- 
cept the  cooper,  up  to  the  salmon-leap:  we  fished 
in  the  stream  below  the  rattle,  and  also  in  the 
lower  pool,  and  killed  seventy-eight  fish.  As  this 
work  is  very  fatiguing  and  wet,  and  the  flies  bite 
most  intolerably,  I  took  a  tierce  of  porter  for  the 
people,  which  they  made  rather  too  free  with;  and 
the  consequence  was,  that  the  taylor  was  near 
being  drowned.  We  left  the  net  at  swing,  in  the 
lower  pool. 

A  clear  hot  day. 

Tuesday,  Septemher  .9,  777^.    Jack  killed  a  cur- 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  207 

lew  I  his  moi'iiiiii;  ol'  \i'i'v  large  size;  1  have  seen 
some  tew  of  them  hel'ore,  but  never  till  now  com- 
pared any  of  them  with  the  others;  this  is  darker 
on  the  back,  has  a  white  l)elly,  and  weighed  fifteen 
ounces  (the  connnon  sort  but  nine  and  a  half)  and 
the  wings  extended  are  longer  by  five  inches/  I 
killed  five  curlews  at  the  door. 

Thar-sdaij,  September  5,  1776.  I  concluded  a 
bargain  with  captain  Scott  to-day,  for  the  share 
of  the  stock  in  trade  of  his  brother  and  himself 
belonging  to  our  partnership,  which  being  nearly 
expired,  they  did  not  choose  to  renew^ :  I  gave  him 
bills  for  the  amount,  being  one  thousand  two  hun- 
dred pounds.  After  dinner  captain  Scott  and  I 
took  a  walk  upon  Signal  Hill;  he  killed  a  curlew 
and  two  gre}-  plover,  and  I  shot  fourteen  curlews 
and  a  plover.    Jack  killed  a  curlew  and  a  plover. 

SatiD'day,  September  7,  1776.  Six  men  w^ere 
at  work  on  the  house,  which  the}'  finished  by  night. 
Captain  Scott  and  I  took  a  walk  to  Black  Head. 
I  found  the  trap  which  I  lost  in  the  winter,  wdth 
the  remains  of  a  marten  in  it,  and  saw^  several 
tracks  of  black-bears.  At  dark  the  head-man  of 
'\\Tiite-bear  River  came  dow^n  to  inform  me,  that 
he  met  with  two  mountaineer  families  yesterday, 
whom  he  towed  down  io  the  foot  of  Mealy  ^loun- 
tains,  where  they  landed;  it  blowing  too  fresh  for 
them  to  come  any  farther. 

\Ved)ies.^   September    11,    1776.      At   noon   the 

'  It  Is  vorv'  pos'-i})1i'  tJi.it  fliis  wius  m  IIiulsoTii.-iii  curlew,  Numenius 
hiiilndTiiruK.  This  sf)f,'fif"s  has  been  rfcordcd  for  I,:ihr;idnr  h\  (^oues,  Turner 
and    others. 


208  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

Mountaineers  came  here  in  two  canoes;  tliere 
were  two  men  and  their  wives,  a  boy  about  sixteen 
years  old  (a  son  of  captain  Jack's)  and  two  small 
children.  They  gave  me  four  beaver-skins,  and 
afterwards  stole  them  again  and  sold  them  to  me. 
They  continued  to  drink  brandy,  of  which  they 
were  very  greedy,  until  they  were  quite  drunk,  but 
were  not  near  so  troublesome  as  captain  Jack  and 
his  family. 

Thursday,  Septeml)er  12,  1776.  All  this  morn- 
ing was  spent  in  purchasing  furs  from  the  Indi- 
ans; they  had  not  much,  but  they  sold  them 
cheaper  than  the  others  had  done.  They  shewed 
me  their  method  of  shooting  deer;  although  they 
were  very  drunk,  yet  they  made  several  good 
shots,  which  convinced  me  of  their  expertness.^ 

When  a  Mountaineer  gets  up  to  a  herd  of  deer, 
he  puts  three  or  four  balls  into  his  mouth;  the 
instant  he  has  fired,  he  throws  some  loose  powder 
down  his  piece,  drops  a  wet  ball  out  of  his  mouth 
upon  it  and  presses  it  down  with  his  ramrod,  but 
puts  in  no  wadding,  either  upon  the  powder  or 
the  ball;  by  which  means  he  gets  more  shots  than 
if  he  loaded  in  the  common  way.  As  they  use  no 
measure  for  their  powder,  but  throw  it  in  by  hand, 
they  generally  over-charge;  a  spring-flask,  with 
a  ball  made  up  in  a  cartridge  would  be  a  much 
better  way,  but  those  flasks  come  too  high  for  the 

^  This  adoption  of  fire-arms  by  the  Indians  earlier  than  by  the  Es- 
kimos, and  their  evident  skill  in  their  use,  may  partly  account  for  the 
abandonment  of  southern  Labrador  by  the  latter  people,  although  the 
prime  factor  was  of  course  the  white  race.  Indians  and  Eskimos  have 
always  been  enemies. 


n 


(/I 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  209 

Indian  market ;  therefore  they  are  furnished  with 
the  cow-horn,  such  as  are  provided  for  ship's  use. 

After  dmner  they  went  off  for  their  tents,  which 
were  in  Diver  Ticlvk',  well  satisfied  with  the  re- 
ception they  met  with,  and  ]ti'oniised  to  return 
again. 

Sunday,  September  22, 1776.  Having  concluded 
all  my  business  on  shore,  captain  Scott  and  I  em- 
l)arked  on  board  the  Two  Sisters.  At  noon  we  got 
under  weigh,  and  worked  out  of  the  harbour:  at 
dark  we  were  abreast  of  Black  Islands,  and  found 
a  great  swell  at  sea. 

Wednes.,  Septemher  25,  1776.  At  ten  this 
morning  we  saw  the  land,  but  did  not  know  where 
we  were,  as  the  weather  was  foggy;  we  supposed 
that  we  were  near  Point  Spear;  at  three  o'clock 
we  made  the  land  again,  and  found  it  to  be  the 
Caribous;  we  then  ran  round  the  South  side  of 
them,  and  came  to  anchor  in  Charles  Harbour, 
at  half  after  four.  I  had  the  disappointment  to 
hear,  that  our  three  salmon-posts  here  had  got 
l)ut  a  hundred  and  fifty  tierces  of  fish.  I  also 
learned,  that  few  other  people  had  killed  more  in 
])ropoi-tion,  and  that  the  cod-fishery  had  failed 
greatly  all  round  Xewfoundland,  but  had  been 
very  successful  u])on  this  coast.  Noble  and  Pin- 
son's  schooner  came  in  here  this  evening  from  the 
iioi-thwai-d,  and  remained  the  night. 

Sdtnrddji,  Ocfohrr  ,7,  7776'.  AVe  spread  the  re- 
maindfr  of  the  fish,  got  the  SquiiTcl  afloat,  and 
|»;i<'k<'d  lln'  furs:  llicrc  wciv  in  flic  wliolc,  eighty- 
eight  foxes,  a  liiiDdrcd  ;iiid   f  wmfy-five  martens, 


210  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

thirty-five  beavers,  seventeen  otters,  seven  wol- 
verings,  six  wolves,  four  white  bears,  one  black 
ditto,  three  minks,  one  lynks,  and  three  Indian- 
dressed  rangers. 

Wednes.,  October  9,  1776.  At  eight  o'clock  this 
morning,  we  perceived  a  sail  in  the  offing,  and 
soon  knew  her  to  be  my  ship;  at  noon  she  came 
to  an  anchor,  and  the  captain  (David  Kinlock) 
came  on  shore  and  brought  my  letters.  From 
them  I  learned  that  she  had  brought  my  supplies 
for  the  winter,  and  also  two  clerks,  viz.  Joseph 
Daubeny  and  Robert  Collingham;  that  she  had 
goods  on  board  for  Quebec,  to  which  place  she 
ought  to  have  gone  first.  This  vessel  had  lately 
been  named  the  Countess  of  Effingham:  she  had 
been  eight  weeks  from  Portland  Road,  and  had 
met  with  much  bad  weather,  by  which  some  of 
her  cargo  was  damaged.  The  arrival  of  this  ship 
saved  the  lives  of  some  fine,  fat,  blood-hound 
whelps;  for,  as  we  had  nothing  fresh  to  eat  be- 
sides codfish,  captain  Scott  and  I  had  determined 
to  have  a  bow-wow-pie  for  dinner  to-day,  and  I 
was  actually  going  out  to  kill  the  whelps,  when 
I  discovered  the  ship  in  the  offing.  We  began  to 
turn  the  oil  out  of  the  store-house  and  prepare  for 
receiving  the  goods  from  on  board  the  ship. 

Tuesday,  November  5,  1776.  I  shipped  my  bag- 
gage on  board  a  small  brig  called  the  Ann,  com- 
manded by  William  Pinson,  (Mr.  Pinson's  son) 
and  in  the  evening  T  embarked,  as  did  captain 
Scott,  Mr.  Pinson,  and  all  his  English  servants, 
who  were  discharged. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  211 

Tliursday,  Xoiu inhcr  7,  1776.  W  halt'  past  two 
(t'ckK'k  this  afternoon  ^Ye  got  under  weigh,  and 
sailed  for  Dartmouth;  at  six  o'clock  we  judged 
ourselves  to  be  abreast  of  Belle  Isle,  but  could 
not  see  it,  and  at  seven  we  passed  close  to  a  very 
large  island  of  ice. 

Dull,  hazy  weather. 

Saturday,  November  23,  1776.  At  half  an  hour 
after  two  o'clock  this  morning,  (it  then  blowing 
a  hard  gale  of  wind,  with  a  great  sea,  and  ver}^ 
thick  weather)  we  saw  Scilly  Light,  right  ahead, 
by  which  wc  knew  we  were  among  the  rocks  lying 
to  the  westward  of  it.  The  hehn  was  immediately 
put  aport,  and  tlie  vessel,  which  was  at  that  time 
going  seven  miles  an  hour,  flew  up  into  the  wind 
with  her  head  to  the  southward.  Wliile  the  people 
wci'c  l)racing  the  head  yards  about,  I  espied  a 
breaker,  not  far  to  leeward,  and  a  little  ahead 
withal;  we  immediately  vered  to  the  other  tack, 
and  in  so  doing,  she  went  within  half  her  length 
of  the  rock;  we  got  the  sails  trimmed  as  quick 
as  possible,  then  lay  u])  north  l)y  west,  and  ran 
near  fi\e  knots  an  hour.  At  a  quai'ter  after  three 
we  disc(»voi'ed  four  high  rocks,  close  under  our 
lee,  and  had  much  difficulty  to  clear  them;  indeed 
we  all  gave  oui-sclvcs  uj)  for  lost,  and  liad  we 
struck  against  Ihe  rocks,  not  a  soul  could  liave 
been  saved;  howcvci",  we  wore  now  out  of  all  dan- 
gf'i*,  foj-  we  saw  IK)  more  aft<'i'  tliosc;  but  for  fear 
of  the  worst,  we  kepi  on  nnr  course  1ill  day-light; 
and  (liu'inL!:  1hc  wliolc  time,  llic  Ice  end  of  the  wind- 
lass was  scarce  e\-eii  oul   of  tbe  water,  as  ii   blcnv 


212  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

very  hard.,  and  we  carried,  the  top  sails  to  it.  At 
day-light  we  bore  away,  and  passed  between 
Scilly  and  England,  at  noon  we  doubled  the  land's 
end,  and  at  half  past  two  were  abreast  of  the  Liz- 
zard,  at  six  we  made  the  Eddistone,  and  at  ten 
we  heaved  to,  off  the  Start;  it  then  blowing  most 
desperately,  attended  with  much  rain. 

Sunday,  November  24,  1776.  At  day-light  we 
made  sail,  and  plied  to  windward  all  day;  in  the 
morning  we  were  about  six  leagues  south  easterly 
off  the  Start,  but  our  sails  and  rigging  were  so 
much  shattered  by  the  late  blowing  weather,  that 
we  gained  but  little  before  dark. 

Cloudy  weather. 

Monday,  November  25,  1776.  At  day-light  we 
found  ourselves  between  the  Start  and  the  Berry, 
and  no  great  distance  off  shore;  and  at  nine 
o'clock  we  came  to  an  anchor  in  Dartmouth 
Range.  Captain  Scott,  Pinson,  and  I  went  on 
shore  in  the  pilot  boat;  and  at  ten  we  landed  safe 
at  Dartmouth. 

I  did  not  leave  Dartmouth  until  the  second  of 
December;  and  as  I  made  several  stoppages  by 
the  way,  it  was  the  evening  of  the  tenth  inst.  be- 
fore I  arrived  in  London;  where  I  conclude  this 
voyage. 


THE   END  OF  THE   THIRD   VOYAGE. 


LABRADOR  JOURNAL       213 


THE  FOURTH  VOYAGE 

Aj)n'I,  1777.  Last  year  my  brother  John  unfor- 
tunately put  my  business  into  the  hands  of  alder- 
man Woolridge,  who  saeriticed  my  interest  to  his 
own,  by  sliip})ini4-  a  quantity  of  rum  and  porter 
on  board  the  Countess  of  Effingham,  for  Quebec; 
in  order  that  he  might  receive  the  freight,  which 
amounted  to  two  hundred  pounds.  From  this  cir- 
cumstance she  was  not  only  detained  in  England 
above  a  month  later  than  she  w^ould  otherwise 
lia\-e  l)een,  whidi  made  her  late  arrival  in  Labra- 
dor of  dangerous  consequence,  as  well  as  a  great 
loss  to  me;  but  she  was  afterwards  obliged  to 
])roceed  to  Quebec.  She,  however,  had  the  good 
fortune  to  arrive  there,  and  to  return  to  England; 
but  as  she  came  back  empty,  her  expences 
amounted  to  more  money  tli;iii  1lie  freight.  SIk^ 
liad  moreover  received  some  damage,  which 
obliged  iiie  t(.  put  n  new  keel  into  her,  and  give 
liei-  some  otli(  r  rep.iii's  that  cost  me  a  considerable 
sum. 

In  tlie  mean  time  T  ])i-o\ided  sueh  good  as 
eoiild  l)e  proeui-ed  in  London,  shi])])ed  them  on 
l)o;ir(l,  ;ind  tlien  ordei'ed  1lie  ship  t(t  Lynnning- 
toii  i(,  take  in  some  salt,  and  to  wait  for  my 
arrival. 


214  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

Tuesday,  April  29,  1777.  We  got  under  weigh 
at  ten  o'clock  this  morning,  but  having  the  tide 
against  us,  it  was  two  in  the  afternoon  before  we 
passed  the  Needles. 

Sunday,  May  4,  1777.  We  got  sight  of  Dungar- 
von  Hills  at  noon  to-day,  and  anchored  at  Passage, 
in  the  harbour  of  Waterford,  at  eight  o'clock  at 
night. 

We  found  lying  here  the  Pegasus  Sloop  of  War, 
captain  Grore ;  and  the  Wasp  Sloop,  captain  Bligh ; 
also  a  number  of  vessels  which  were  bound  to 
Newfoundland,  under  convoy  of  the  Pegasus.  The 
lieutenant  of  the  above  ship  boarded  mine  soon 
after  she  passed  Duncannon  Fort,  and  although 
it  was  then  tide  of  ebb  and  the  wind  was  very 
scant,  he  obliged  her  to  lie  to,  until  she  was  very 
near  being  on  shore  upon  the  rocks.  After  a  great 
deal  of  improper  behaviour,  he  pressed  Roco  Gas- 
per, an  Italian;  notwithstanding  he  had  a  pro- 
tection. I  was  at  that  time  on  shore,  and  on 
receiving  information  of  the  above  particu- 
lars, I  waited  on  captain  Gore;  but  very  sorry 
am  I  to  say,  that  I  neither  obtained  the 
man's  discharge,  nor  met  with  that  degree 
of  politeness  which  it  was  natural  for  me  to  ex- 
pect. 

I  went  to  Waterford  the  next  morning,  where 
I  purchased  provisions,  and  hired  upwards  of 
thirty  fishermen  for  the  use  of  my  concerns  in 
Labrador.  These  transactions  found  me  with  full 
employment  till  the  evening  of  the  ninth;  by 
which  time  the  provisions  were  on  board,  most  of 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  215 

tilt'  servants  wore  eiiil)arked,  and  1  put  my  ship 
under  eon\ oy  of  the  Pegasus. 

Sundafj,  May  18,  1777.  Nothing  worthy  of  re- 
mark oecurred  until  tliis  day,  unless  that  captain 
Gore,  having  a  tieet  of  ships  under  his  care,  and 
a  report  prevailing  of  privateers  being  near  the 
Irish  Coast  neglected  his  duty:  for  he  neither  took 
the  least  pains  to  keep  his  fleet  together,  nor  at- 
tempted to  collect  them  when  dispersed;  he 
neither  carried  sail  in  proportion  to  the  heaviest 
sailers,  nor  did  he  ever  examine  such  ships  as 
appeared  in  sight:  although  several  vessels  actu- 
ally ran  through  his  fleet,  he  never  spoke  to  one, 
nor  even  shewed  his  colours,  in  answer  to  theirs. 
By  such  conduct,  he  soon  lost  the  fourth  part  of 
his  fleet;  and  as  he  persisted  in  keei^ing  on  the 
starboard  tack,  with  the  wind  at  south  west,  in 
the  latitude  of  46"  46'  north,  at  noon,  I  ordered 
the  signal  to  be  made  for  speaking  with  him;  but 
notwithstanding  we  were  no  more  than  a  mile 
from  him,  and  on  liis  lee  quarter,  he  took  no  notice 
of  it.  At  two  o'clock  I  caused  the  signal  to  be 
hauled  down,  the  colours  to  be  hoisted,  the  vessel 
to  lie  ]iut  al)out,  and  left  liini. 

\\v  had  N'ery  1em])estu()ns  weatlier  all  night, 
and  met  several  vessels,  wliidi  alai'nied  us  gi'eatly, 
feai'ing  lest  any  of  llieni  slioiild  pi'oN'e  American 
Privateej's. 

On  the  twen1y-eiL,di11i  we  saw  a  pair  of  gannets, 
wliidi  made  the  sailors  snspcct  tlial  we  were  in 
soundings;  })ut  we  conld  not  find  any  ground  with 
a  bnndi'cd  fatlioiris  rif  litie. 


216  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

[Ou  tlie  ITtli  of  June  tliey  reached  Table  Ba}^ 
near  Sandwich  Bay.] 

On  drawing  near  North  Point,  I  had  the  yawl 
hoisted  out,  and  went  off  to  the  small  island,  which 
lies  a  mile  and  a  half  south  by  east  from  thence, 
in  order  to  shoot  ducks  and  gather  eggs.  An  old 
white  bear  and  her  cub,  had  already  taken  pos- 
session of  it  for  the  latter  purpose;  and  on  my 
arrival  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  shore,  the 
old  lady  appeared  disposed  to  dispute  my  landing : 
but  I  soon  settled  that  point,  by  sending  a  ball 
through  her  heart,  and  then  landed  and  killed  her 
cub  also.  Notwithstanding  both  bears  were  shot 
through  the  centre  of  their  hearts,  the  bitch  ran 
three  hundred  yards,  and  the  cub  at  least  a  hun- 
dred before  they  dropped.  As  a  great  surf  broke 
upon  the  shore,  it  was  with  difficulty  that  one  man 
and  I  landed;  and  we  were  not  able  to  do  any- 
thing more  with  the  bears,  than  merely  to  paunch 
them.  I  shot  seven  ducks,  while  my  man  gathered 
above  tw^o  hundred  eggs;  we  then  re-embarked 
and  followed  the  ship,  which  we  overtook  at  nine 
o'clock:  presently  after,  she  was  obliged  to  let  go 
an  anchor  off  the  east  end  of  Ledge  Island;  be- 
cause, so  thick  a  fog  coming  on,  together  with 
night,  that  we  durst  not  attempt  to  proceed  into 
a  harbour,  which  none  of  us  had  even  yet  seen; 
an  original  chart  of  Lane's,  being  all  that  we  had 
to  go  by. 

Wednes.,  June  18,  1777.  We  weighed  at  day- 
light this  morning,  and  presently  came  to  an  an- 
chor in  South  Harbour,  where  we  moored  also. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  217 

.Vt  ti'ii  u'ckx-k  I  sc'iit  the  Iohl;-  boat  with  the  mate 
and  ten  men  for  the  bears,  and  they  returned  with 
them  in  the  evening':  they  also  brought  a  pair  of 
dueks  and  four  large  l)askets  full  of  eggs;  but 
\ery  few  of  them  were  good.  On  examining  the 
paunches  of  the  bears,  they  found  them  well  filled 
with  eggs.  I  had  often  heretofore  observed,  that 
all  the  nests  upon  an  island  had  been  robbed,  and 
the  down  piUled  out;  but  I  did  not  know  till  now, 
how  those  things  had  happened. 

Thursddji,  Jutu  }.9,  1777.  I  had  the  old  bear 
salted:  a  hind  quarter  of  her  weighed  ninety 
])()un(ls,  and  although  she  was  very  lean,  yet  her 
fat  tilled  half  a  pork-barrel.  Plenty  of  the  young 
bear  was  di-essed  for  dinner,  which,  together  with 
sitting  ducks  and  lialf  liatclied  eggs,  proved  a 
great  treat  to  us,  who  had  been  so  long  confined  to 
salt  provisions;  how  much  soever  such  food  may 
be  despised  b}'  those  who  never  lived  far  from  a 
butcher. 

There  was  a  iliick  dry  fog  in  the  morning,  and 
wet  one  all  the  rest  of  the  day. 

fOn  June  21st  the  ship  anchored  in  Cartwright 
n.ii"h<Mii-.  ]  I  tlien  went  on  shore,  and  had  the 
picasui-c  \i)  Ileal-,  tlial  all  my  people  had  enjoyed 
\i:(>n(\  lic.-thli  siucc  I  Ict'l  Jliciu;  bill  1  liad  tile  iiKir- 
titicatioii  to  be  infoniied,  that  they  had  got  veiw 
few  fui-s,  and  scai'cely  more  seals  than  supplied 
tliciii  with  sufficient  oil  for  their  own  coiisumi> 
tion. 

Fn'fin//,  Junr  27,  1777.  Tliis  moniiim-  the  ship 
unmoored,  and  pi-cjjarcd  to  sail  I'oi-  Charles  liar- 


218  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

bour.  At  nine  o'clock  Mrs.  Selby  and  I 
set  off  in  the  ship's  yawl,  rowed  by  the  two 
Indian  women,  for  White-bear  River;  at  five 
o'clock  we  arrived  at  Little  Brook  and  pitched 
a  tent  there,  afterwards  we  went  to  the  salmon- 
post,  where  I  found,  they  had  got  about  six 
tierces  of  fish  on  shore.  I  shot  a  pair  of 
geese. 

[The  chief  occupation  of  the  summer  was  the 
cod-fishery,  in  which  Cartwright  was  fairly  suc- 
cessful, for  which  he  built  a  Stage  at  Great  Island 
near  Blackguard  Bay.  Hardly  a  day  passed,  how- 
ever, Avhen  he  did  not  indulge  in  shooting  game 
or  in  exploring  the  country.] 

Wednes.,  September  3,  1777.  After  breakfast, 
taking  Jack  with  me,  I  went  in  the  Roebuck  to 
Cartwright  River;  we  pitched  our  tent  at  the 
mouth  of  Alder  Brook,  and  rummaged  it  for  bea- 
vers, but  could  not  find  the  house,  which  my  peo- 
ple saw  there  this  spring. 

Thiirsday,  Sept  ember  4,  1777.  lEarly  in  the 
morning  we  went  up  the  brook  again,  and  took 
a  long,  fatiguing  walk  to  the  top  of  a  high  hill, 
from  whence  we  could  command  an  extensive 
view  of  the  country.  We  observed,  that  it  was 
chiefly  marshes  with  small  ponds  in  them,  and 
very  little  wood,  except  by  the  sides  of  the  river 
and  brooks;  there  the  soil  is  good,  rich  sand,  and 
produces  plenty  of  very  large  timber,  and  abun- 
dance of  good  raspberries,^  both  red  and  white, 
as  ever  I  ate  in  my  life.    There  are  also  large  beds 

*  Rubus  idaeus  var.  aculeatissimvs. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  219 

<>r  alelci'  '  and  willow,^  wliidi  must  cause  a  great 
resort  of  grouse  in  the  winter.  To  the  northward 
of  the  v'ww  mouth  we  could  perceive  a  hirge  bay, 
the  whole  shore  of  which  is  a  fine  sandy  beach, 
except  the  northern  extremity,  which  is  termi- 
nated by  a  rocky,  hilly,  barren  headland,  with  a 
small  island  lying  off  the  [)oiiit.  Between  the  bay 
and  the  river,  the  land  is  dat  and  low,  consisting 
ahnost  entirely  of  wet  marshes.  AVe  found  four 
dams  and  a  hovel  as  we  went  u})  the  brook;  and 
on  our  return,  Jack  coming  down  the  other  side, 
found  the  house,  situated  at  the  extremity  of  a 
very  narrow  point,  which  we  did  not  go  round 
before.  T  killed  three  large,  horn  owls,3  .^^^^^  e^ 
black-duck. 

Saturdaij,  Sej)tf)nh<'r  6,  1777.  AVe  had  a  couple 
of  owls  for  dinner,  wliich  ])roved  fat  and  white, 
but  very  tough. 

Tacsdaif,  Xovoiihcr  25,  1777.  I  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  shooting  at  a  goose  to-day,  although 
it  is  very  late  in  the  year  for  those  birds  to  be 
seen. 

SiDtihuj,  Xovemher  30,  1777.  Eai'ly  this  morn- 
ini:  T  went  in  the  skiff  to  Earl  Island.  Sending 
hci-  to  the  farthest  brook,  I  landed  in  the  fij'st  cove 

'  Ahiiuf    rriapa. 

*  The  willows,  Snlix,  aro  of  pourse  difficult  to  identify.  Dolabarre 
in  the  report  of  the  Brown-Harvard  Expedition  (Rull.  rieog.  Soc.  of  F'hila. 
Ill  Apr.  1902,  pp.  1S9,  190)  listw  nine  species  of  willows  from  Labrador. 
Several  of  these  an-  low  rreepin^  plant,s.  Britton  and  Brown  specidcally 
refer  eleven  to  Labrador.  Seven  different  speeies  of  willows  have  bcH'n 
iflentified  from  the  specimens  !  Iinve  broiitilit  Iroiu  the  etustem  and  south- 
cm  coa*.tH. 

'  Labnuior  horned  owl,  Huho  irin/inuinuH  hrlerocnfmis. 


220  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

on  the  south  side,  and  walked  up  the  valley  to 
the  marsh;  then  turned  westward  along  the  is- 
land, looked  at  the  deertrap,  settled  it  afresh,  and 
went  to  the  to]3  of  the  burnt  hill  over  the  north- 
west point,  where  I  sat  watching  for  some  time. 
After  which,  merely  by  accident  and  contrar}^  to 
my  intention,  I  crossed  upon  the  trap  in  my  way 
back  to  the  boat,  and  by  this  wandering  prevented 
the  poor  Indian  boy  (Jack)  from  loosing  his  leg, 
at  least,  nay  perhaps  I  saved  his  life;  for,  seeing 
me  upon  the  hill,  he  intended  to  come  to  me,  but 
in  stepping  over  the  trap,  his  foot  slipped,  and 
staggering  back,  he  was  caught  by  one  leg  above 
the  calf;  consequently  he  must  have  remained 
a  prisoner  there  all  night.  When  I  came  up 
to  him,  he  smiled  in  my  face  and  humourously 
said,  ''  Here  is  a  young  fool  of  a  deer  caught  at 
last." 

Wednes.,  December  10,  1777.  This  morning 
Jack  and  I  crossed  the  ice  to  Earl  Island  above 
the  tickle.  I  went  to  my  traps  at  the  east  end  of 
the  island;  the  first  I  could  not  find,  but  shifted 
the  other  there,  and  baited  them  all  with  old 
Cheshire  cheese  and  honey.  Just  as  I  had  finished 
the  last,  a  cross-fox  came  out  of  the  woods  to  wind- 
ward, and  turned  downwards;  as  soon  as  he 
winded  some  bits  of  the  cheese  which  I  had 
thrown  at  a  distance,  he  stopped  as  if  to  consider 
whether  he  should  venture  to  eat  them  or  not,  at 
last  advancing  with  the  greatest  care,  and  trying 
the  snow  with  his  feet  as  he  went  along,  he  crept 
up  and  took  them;    growing  more  bold,  he  then 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  221 

trotted  lip  and  set  one  foot  fairly  within  the  trap, 
})Ut  not  touching  the  bridge,  he  was  not  eauglit. 
At  the  same  time,  either  winding  or  feeling  the 
trap,  or  perhaps  winding  my  footstep  on  a  rock 
close  by,  he  gave  a  sudden  spring,  and  ran  off  at 
full  speed.  I  lay  all  the  time  flat  upon  the  ice  at 
the  water's  edge,  and  on  ol)serving  him  go  off  I 
tired  at  him,  but  having  only  small  shot,  and  being 
full  sixty  yards  off,  he  was  not  much  the  worse 
for  it. 

Mondaji,  Jauuarij  .5,  1778.  This  morning,  two 
thii'ds  of  my  house  was  so  entirely  drifted  over, 
as  to  appear  like  a  hill;  and  nobody  would  sup- 
pose it  to  l)e  any  other,  Avere  it  not  for  the  top  of 
the  chimney.  At  eleven  o'clock,  two  of  the  sealers 
arrived  with  a  letter  from  the  head-man,  inform- 
ing me,  that  on  the  day  when  they  left  this  place, 
they  got  no  further  than  a  few  miles  beyond  Sandy 
Point:  and  that  the  next  day,  Joseph  Poole  going 
on  al)out  two  miles  ahead  of  the  rest,  fell  through 
the  ice  and  was  drowned.  Patrick  Woods,  one  of 
those  who  caiiie  to-day,  broke  in  also;  but  Ix'ing 
near  the  shore  and  witliin  his  dei)th,  fortunately 
got  out  again,  and  by  immediately  drying  himself 
before  a  good  fire  which  they  made  in  the  woods, 
took  no  liarni. 

Fn'dii/j,  Januarj/  .9,  1778.  Dull,  mild  weather, 
with  a  little  snow  at  times  until  the  evem'ng,  when 
it  j^n-ew  clear,  and  froze  sliarply.  Although  sudden 
and  great  changes  of  the  weather  most  commonly 
cause  siekness  in  England,  vet  I  ncxci-  found  they 
had  the  same  effect  in  tliis  country,  notwithstand- 


222  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

ing  those  which  we  exiDerience  here,  are  so  much 
greater;  as  may  be  observed  in  many  parts  of 
this  work. 

Thursday,  January  15,  1778.  Jack  returned  in 
the  afternoon  without  any  thing.  He  lay  in  Goose 
Cove  on  Monday  night ;  in  Eagle  Cove  on  Tuesday 
night;  and  at  the  stage  last  night;  from  whence 
he  came  early  this  morning.  On  Venison  Head, 
he  saw  much  slot  of  deer,  and  the  tracks  of  both 
wolves  and  foxes.  AVhen  he  got  near  to  the  stage, 
three  wolves  came  from  thence  upon  the  ice,  and 
seemed  disposed  to  attack  him.  As  I  never  knew 
the  boy  given  to  lying,  I  cannot  doubt  his  story; 
which,  for  its  curiosity,  I  will  relate.  The  three 
wolves  separated  and  surrounded  him;  the  two 
smallest  clapped  down  on  their  bellies,  and  the 
largest,  which  he  said  Avas  a  very  stout  old  dog, 
then  ran  full  cry  at  him.  He  all  this  time  en- 
deavored to  imitate  the  appearance  and  motion  of 
a  deer  as  well  as  he  could,  by  holding  his  gun  be- 
hind his  back,  with  the  muzzle  over  his  head  for  a 
horn,  and  stooping  and  walking  with  his  hatchet 
for  a  fore-leg.  This  scheme  would  have  succeeded, 
had  not  the  old  wolf,  before  he  got  near  enough, 
took  the  wind  of  him;  when,  finding  his  mistake, 
he  ran  off  and  howled  in  a  different  tone  of  voice, 
which  the  others  perfectly  understood;  for  they 
jumped  up,  wheeled  round  and  joined  him,  and 
then  all  went  off  together.  One  of  them  has,  per- 
haps, been  in  one  of  Wrixon's  traps  lately;  for 
it  was  lame,  and  Jack  saw  blood  in  the  shoremen's 
house,  where  they  had  taken  up  their  quarters  for 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  223 

some  tiiiR';  and  lliey  had  tVd  upon  the  blubber 
which  had  been  left  in  the  casks. 

Wcditifi.,  Fcbraartj  ,;\5,  1778.  On  my  giving 
Tweegock  a  small  slap  for  some  sluttish  and  dirty 
tricks,  she  snatched  up  a  penknife,  which  chanced 
to  lie  on  a  table  near  her,  and  would  certainly 
have  stabbed  herself  to  the  heart,  if  the  point  of  it 
had  not  been  stopped  by  a  rib:  1  innnediately 
t<K)k  it  from  her,  when  she  took  her  own  knife  out 
of  her  pocket  and  made  a  second  attempt  with 
that,  but  without  et¥ect  likewise.  She  made  two 
small  punctures  under  her  left  breast,  but  of  no 
consequence.  I  then  took  good  care  to  pacify  her 
effectually,  before  I  let  her  go  out  of  my  sight. 

Sunday,  MarvJt  29,  1778.  Jack  and  Terry  ex- 
amined the  country  to  the  southwards;  where 
they  found  iwo  marshes,  four  ponds  and  some 
pretty  good  timber:  but  the  latter  is  too  far  from 
the  water  side  to  be  of  use.  They  saw  no  signs  of 
beavers,  but  met  with  the  tracks  of  a  few  martens, 
and  killed  two  ])oi'<'upines.  I  took  Pati'ick  with 
me,  and  went  up  the  south-east  brook  to  the  first 
pond;  then  turned  noi'th-west,  and  came  l)ack, 
through  the  woods.  I  had  a  cat  ^  in  a  trap  by  the 
brook,  killed  a  porcupine,  and  saw  the  tracks  of 
a  lynx  and  another  cat.  T  heard  some  erossbeak- 
linnets  sing,  for  the  fii'st  time  this  yeai*. 

Mondnii,  April  fJ,  1778.  At  eight  this  morning. 
I  set  off  for  Last  Ai-m,  taking  Patrick  and  Jack 

'  Ah  tho  wildnit.  J.i/nT  riifTus,  is  not  known  to  orr-nr  in  T  abmdor,  it 
in  posHJhlf  that  Curtwriitht  rofopH  to  tho  fiMJuT,  Mimlila  pr.utKtnlii,  sonie- 
tiuicM  called  the  fish  cut  or  blurk  cut. 


224  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

with  me,  who,  together  with  the  bloodhound  dog, 
drew  our  provisions  and  baggage  on  a  sled.  At 
the  south  point  of  Earl  Island,  Jack  built  a  death- 
fall  for  foxes,  and  then  followed.  At  two  in  the 
afternoon  we  got  to  the  brook,  when  I  pitched  a 
tent  upon  the  snow,  and  then  sent  Patrick  home 
again  with  the  dog. 

Tuesday,  April  7, 1778.  I  went  to  the  top  of  the 
high  hill  with  a  bare  crown,  which  is  on  the  south 
side  of  this  brook,  from  whence  I  commanded  a 
most  extensive  view  in  every  direction,  except 
from  south-west,  to  west  north-west.  I  observed 
a  valley,  full  of  marches  and  ponds,  to  extend 
from  Dykes  River  to  Paradise  East  River;  and 
another,  with  a  string  of  ponds  in  it,  which  run 
from  the  middle  of  the  former  valley,  to  Table 
Bay  Brook.  I  am  of  opinion,  that  a  few  beavers 
may  be  found  in  some  of  those  ponds;  that  they 
must  be  good  places  for  otters;  and  that  the 
marshes  are  exceedingly  well  situated  for  inter- 
cepting deer  at  the  passing  times.  I  observed  a 
range  of  very  high,  barren  mountains  towards 
the  head  of  White-bear  River,  a  long  way  in  the 
country,  which  I  never  saw  before.  But  what 
pleased  me  most,  was,  to  discover  plenty  of  good 
rinds,  in  the  woods  not  far  from  the  water-side, 
as  I  shall  want  a  great  number  this  spring.  I 
found  a  porcupine  on  the  top  of  a  tall  fir-tree,  and 
after  taking  the  trouble  to  climb  up  and  cut  off 
the  head  of  the  tree  with  my  knife  (as  he  climbed 
higher  than  it  would  bear  my  weight)  T  lost  my 
labour;  for,  before  I  could  get  down  and  overtake 


LABR.VDOR    JOURNAL  225 

him,  he  shuttled  into  his  hok%  which  was  under  a 
large  roek  not  far  distant,  and  escaped. 

Thursday,  April  .'V,  1778.  I  sent  the  boys  in 
quest  of  the  porcupine  which  I  saw  on  Thursday, 
which  they  not  only  found  and  killed,  ])ut  they 
dressed  and  eat  it  too,  without  saying  a  word  to 
me;  who  lay  all  the  time  in  my  deer-skin  bag  in 
the  tent,  where  I  continued  from  the  night  of  last 
Tuesday,  until  after  it  was  dark  this  evening; 
nearly  perishing  with  cold  the  whole  time. 

Friday,  April  10,  1778.  At  eight  this  morning 
we  set  out  homewards.  It  then  froze  so  severely, 
that  I  was  obliged  to  walk  above  a  mile  without 
niy  rackets,  to  prevent  my  toes  from  burning; 
but  Ijy  the  time  we  got  half  way  home,  the  weather 
was  grown  very  hot,  and  it  was  most  intolerably 
so,  after  we  got  into  the  harbour,  insoniucli,  that 
we  were  obliged  to  lay  down  on  the  snow  to  cool 
ourselves. 

The  boys  brought  a  sled  load  of  baggage,  and 
we  tailed  three  traps  for  foxes  by  the  w^ay.  I 
judge,  the  distance  from  my  house,  to  be  about 
tw('l\e  miles. 

A  clear  day.  Thei-.  5"  1°  below  0  -  2*^  56°  - 
8*^  19  . 

Tucsdaj/,  Man  -''^  1778.  After  breakfast  T  went 
upon  tlic  hill  atid  walcliccl  till  clcNcii  o'clock,  but 
no  deer  ai)j)('aring,  mack'  me  conjecture,  that  the 
li-csh  water  on  the  to])  of  the  ice,  now  })eing  frozen, 
it  was  too  sli])])ery  I'oi-  llicni  to  walk  u])on,  as 
they  would  easily  licconic  a  |>i'cy  to  llic  wohcs; 
besides,  the  snow   is  now   so  liai'd    in   the   woods, 


226  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

that  it  is  very  good  travelling  across  the  country, 
and  all  the  marshes  being  clear  of  snow,  they  can 
get  food  as  they  travel  along.  I  am  the  more  con- 
firmed in  this  opinion,  as  I  never  knew  them  cross 
the  ice  at  this  tmie  of  the  year,  until  the  sun  had 
thawed  the  surface  sufficiently  to  enable  them  to 
keep  their  feet.  The  bridge  of  ice  at  the  east  end 
of  the  small  island  at  the  head  of  the  harbour, 
broke  up  last  night. 

Clear,  frosty  weather. 

Monday^  May  18,  1778.  At  six  this  morning, 
taking  the  cooper  and  Jack  with  me,  I  went  up 
the  harbour  in  the  Roebuck,  to  look  for  the  lost 
traps,  but  found  only  one  of  them.  I  sent  Jack  to 
strike  up  the  deer-traps,  but  we  could  get  at  only 
one ;  the  other  being  yet  covered  with  much  snow. 
In  the  mean  time  the  cooper  and  I  sat  watching 
for  geese,  but  we  could  not  get  a  shot  as  mqyj  few 
were  stirring;  but  we  saw  a  great  many  black- 
ducks.  Two  swallows  ^  appeared  today,  which  is 
very  early  for  them,  and  I  observed  a  stem  of 
grass  shewing  its  seed,  although  not  yet  two 
inches  out  of  the  ground. 

Monday,  June  1,  1778.  Early  this  morning  we 
took  up  the  net  and  hung  it  upon  the  scaffold  to 
dry;  there  was  a  pike  of  six  pounds  and  a  half 
in  it.  I  went  to  the  beaver-house,  out  of  which 
the  two  beavers  were  caught  last  fall,  and  tailed 
a  trap  near  it.  In  a  small  pond,  which  has  been 
made  by  the  beavers  a  little  above,  we  found  an 

'  The  tree  swallow,  Iridoprocne  hi'color,  bank  swallow,  Ripnria  riparia, 
and  barn  awallow,  Hirundo  erythrogasler,  all  occur  in  Labrador. 


LABHADOR    JOURNAL  227 

old  lionsc.  Tlu'  stint  was  the  longest  and  coni- 
pletest  I  over  saw;  it  extended  across  a  small 
vale,  thronuh  which  ran  a  narrow  rill  of  water,  by 
which  means  a  i)ond,  of  about  au  acre,  was  formed; 
this  is  often  the  practice  of  those  industrious 
animals.  But  when  they  are  found  in  such  a 
place,  it  is  a  very  easy  matter  to  kill  the  whole 
family  (or  crew,  as  the  furriers  term  them),  for, 
by  euttino-  a  large  breach  in  the  stint,  all  the  water 
is  soon  drained  off,  and  they  cannot  make  their 
escape.  We  saw  a  brace  of  deer  on  an  island  in 
the  river,  but  could  not  get  a  shot. 

Tucsdaii,  June  2,  1778.  Some  more  of  the  gar- 
den was  dug,  and  we  sowed  some  radishes,  onions, 
turnips,  nuistard  and  cresses,  i  then  went  to  a 
large  pond  which  lies  under  the  south  end  of  that 
ridge,  and  empties  into  Eagle  River;  on  the  north 
side  of  which,  T  found  three  large  beaver-houses, 
with  a  strong  crew  of  l)eavers  belonging  to  one  of 
them:  for,  in  the  wood,  lay  as  man.y  trunks  of 
stout  birch  trees  as  would  load  the  biggest  lighter 
on  the  I'iver  Thames;  and  in  the  pond,  were  as 
many  logs  and  sticks,  fresh  r'ut,  as  would  load  two 
oi-  three  large  stage  waggons. 

Tufsdny,  Jnnr  30,  177ft.  After  breakfast  T  went 
in  file  skiff  willi  the  women,  to  the  ti"i]-)s  in  the 
harboui".  one  ol'  which  had  a  robin-red-l)reast  '  in 
it.  \\'e  l.inded  on  the  woody  island  and  there 
gathercfl  sixteen  eggs,  T  also  shot  six  ducks,  and 
my  dog  caught  one. 

Til II rsddji,  .J III II  !/.   177s.     At  day-bi-eak  a  skiff 

'  Amfriran    rohin,    I'lnni'sHcnH    migrnlririu.H. 


228  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

came  here  from  the  stage  to  inform  me  that  a 
vessel  of  mine  was  arrived  from  England.  I  im- 
mediately went  down  there,  and  found  her  to  be 
the  Reconciliation,  John  Kettle  master;  a  new 
brigantine  which  had  been  taken  from  the  Amer- 
icans, and  purchased  for  me  this  spring.  She 
is  about  eighty  tons  burden;  is  laden  with  provi- 
sions and  stores;  she  brought  out  some  new  serv- 
ants from  England  and  Ireland,  By  my  letters  I 
find,  that  the  Covmtess  of  Effingham  is  ordered  to 
load  with  salt  at  Lisbon,  to  which  place  she  carried 
a  cargo  of  corn  on  freight  for  Leghorn,  and  to  come 
from  thence  here. 

Sunday,  July  19,  1778.  The  Otter  coming  up 
at  ten  this  morning;  I  put  some  empty  tierces  on 
board  her,  and  sailed  immediately  for  Wliite-bear 
River,  where  I  arrived  at  four  in  the  afternoon; 
but  found  no  fish  going,  and  only  seventy  tierces 
on  shore. 

Wednes.,  July  22,  1778.  At  four  o'clock  this 
morning  we  weighed  anchor,  towed  out  of  the 
river,  and  anchored  again  a  little  below  the  mouth 
of  it,  where  we  moored.  Leaving  one  man  on 
board  the  shalloway,  to  take  care  of  her,  I  got  into 
the  yawl  with  captain  Kettle,  Jack,  and  the  other 
two  sailors;  and  rowed  up  Eagle  River  to  bring 
some  of  the  salmon-craft  from  thence. 

On  entering  the  river,  we  observed  a  wolvering 
going  along  on  the  south  shore  of  it,  which  is  the 
first  I  ever  saw  alive,  unless  in  a  trap.  When  we 
got  to  the  first  rapid,  which  is  as  high  as  a  boat 
can  go,  we  saw  a  brace  of  white-bears  in  the  river 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  229 

aljuve;  and  a  black  oiii',  walking  along  the  north 
shore.  1  landed  on  the  south  side  with  ni}'  donl)le 
barrel  and  ritle;  ordering  captain  Kettle  to  land 
Jack  on  the  opposite  shore;  then  to  follow  me 
with  one  of  his  men,  and  leave  the  other  to  take 
care  of  the  boat  and  keep  her  atloat.  I  had  not 
gone  far,  before  I  observed  a  xevy  large  blaek- 
bear  walking  n]>\\;ii'(ls,  on  the  dtlicr  side  of  the 
river;  which  soon  took  the  water  and  swam  across, 
but  landed  at  some  distance  a])ove  me,  and  went 
into  the  w<Mtds. 

About  halt*  a  mile  liigher,  I  came  to  a  very 
strong  shoot  of  water,  occasioned  by  the  river 
])eing  pent  in  between  two  high  points;  from 
thence  I  saw  several  white-bears  fishing  in  the 
stream  al)ove.  I  waited  ^or  them,  and  in  a  short 
time,  a  bitch  with  a  small  cub  swam  down  close 
to  the  other  shore,  and  landed  a  little  below.  The 
bitch  innnediately  went  into  the  woods,  but  the 
cub  sat  down  u])on  a  I'ock,  when  1  sent  a  ball 
through  it,  at  the  distance  of  a  hundred  and 
lw<'nTy  yai'ds  at  the  least,  and  knocked  it  over; 
but  getting  up  again  it  crawled  into  the  woods, 
where  T  heai'd  it  crying  mournfully,  and  con- 
cluded tliat  it  fould  not  long  survive. 

The  i-cj)ort  of  uiy  gun  l)i-ought  some  others 
down,  and  it  was  no  soouei-  i-e-loaded,  than  an- 
other she  l)eai-,  \\it1i  a  cub  of  eighteen  months 
old  came  swiminiiig  close  uiidei"  me.  T  shot  the 
lutch  thi-out:h  the  head  and  Killed  hei'  dead.  Tlie 
cub  })C!'('ci\  inu'  tlii^  and  L^'clting  siu'ht  of  me,  as  F 
was  standinu  close  io  tlie  cdiro  of  the  bank,  wliicli 


230  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

was  near  eight  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water, 
made  at  me  with  great  ferocity;  but  just  as  the 
creature  was  about  to  revenge  the  death  of  his 
dam,  I  saluted  him  with  a  load  of  large  shot  in 
his  right  eye,  which  not  only  knocked  that  out,  but 
also  made  him  close  the  other;  during  which  time, 
he  turned  round  several  times,  pawed  his  face, 
and  howled  most  hideously.  He  no  sooner  was 
able  to  keep  his  left  eye  open,  than  he  made  at  me 
again,  quite  mad  with  rage  and  pain;  but  when 
he  came  to  the  foot  of  the  bank,  I  gave  him  an- 
other salute  with  the  other  barrel,  and  blinded 
him  most  completely;  his  whole  head,  was  then 
entirely  covered  with  blood.  The  second  shot 
made  him  act  in  the  same  manner  as  the  first, 
until  he  struck  the  ground  with  his  feet,  when  he 
landed  a  little  below  me,  and  blundered  into  the 
w^oods;  knocking  his  head  against  every  rock  and 
tree  that  he  met  with. 

I  now  perceived  that  two  others  had  just  landed 
about  sixty  yards  above  me,  and  w^ere  fiercely 
looking  round  them.  As  both  my  guns  were  dis- 
charged, the  ram-rod  of  my  rifle  broken  by  load- 
ing in  too  great  haste  the  last  time,  and  as  I  had 
left  my  shot,  and  ball-bag  belonging  to  the  other 
in  the  boat,  I  freely  confess,  that  I  felt  myself  in 
a  very  unpleasant  situation.  But  as  no  time  was 
to  be  lost,  I  darted  into  the  woods  and  instantly 
loaded  my  double-barrel  with  powder  only;  that 
I  might  singe  their  whiskers  at  least,  if  I  were 
attacked;  for  the  rifle  balls  were  too  large. 
Having  loaded  my  rifle  also  with  as  much  ^expe- 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  231 

dilion  as  a  broken  rod  would  permit,  1  returned 
to  ni}^  former  post.  The  bears  having  advanced  a 
few  yards,  were  at  the  edge  of  woods,  and  the  old 
one  was  looking  sternly  at  me.  The  danger  of 
tiring  at  her  1  knew  was  great,  as  she  was  sec- 
onded ))}•  a  cub  of  eighteen  months;  but  I  could 
not  resist  the  temptation.  She  presenting  a  fair 
broadside  to  me,  I  fortunately  sent  my  ball 
throuuh  her  heai't,  and  dropped  her;  ])ut  getting 
up  again,  she  ran  some  yards  into  the  woods; 
where  I  soon  found  her  dead,  without  her  cub. 

The  captain,  his  man,  and  Jack  coming  up,  I 
was  informed  that  Jack  could  not  get  a  shot  at  the 
black-bear;  but  had  shot  one  of  those  white  ones 
which  first  passed  me;  that  the  beast  had  landed 
on  this  side  of  the  riA-er,  and  had  gone  up  on  a 
small  barren  hill,  some  little  distance  within  the 
woods,  and  there  died;  that  they  were  going  after 
her,  but  thought  it  best  to  come  immediately  to 
my  assistanee,  when  they  heard  me  fire  so  often. 

Leaving  them  to  skin  this  bear,  I  advanced 
higher  u])  the  river,  until  I  came  opposite  a  beau- 
tiful cataract,  and  to  the  end  of  a  small  woody 
island  which  lies  near  the  south  shore.  There  T 
sat  down  upon  some  bare  rocks,  to  contemplate 
the  seene  before  nie,  and  t(t  obsci'X'e  tlie  maiioen- 
A'l'es  (»r  tlie  beai's;  iiuiubei's  of  wliicli  wci'e  llieu  in 
sight. 

'I'lie  catara<'t  is  foi-nicd  by  the  i'i\"er  being  con- 
tincd  V)etween  two  dcxaled  p(»ints,  witli  a  Hat  I'ock 
extending  aei-oss  the  Itcd  of  it:  <he  iKTin'iidiciiIar 
f.'ill  of  whirl]  is  ciulil  ffcl  ;    fi-oiii  wliciicc  llici'c  was 


232  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

a  gradual  descent  for  about  forty  yards,  with  sev- 
eral rude  cubical  rocks  standing  upon  it.  These 
made  a  most  complete  and  magnificent  cascade; 
far  superior  to  the  best  artificial  one  I  ever  saw. 
Immediately  beneath  was  a  deep  pool;  and  the 
river  widened  in  a  circular  form,  into  a  spacious 
basin  of  three  hundred  yards  diameter,  which, 
taking  a  short  turn  below,  resembled  a  circular 
pond.  The  water  being  low,  there  was  a  space  of 
some  yards  between  it  and  the  woods:  some  parts 
were  composed  of  fragments  of  rocks;  others,  of 
gravel,  sand,  or  flat  rocks,  with  bushes  of  alder 
growing  in  their  interstices.  The  whole  was  sur- 
rounded by  small,  detached  hills,  covered  with 
spruces  and  firs,  interspersed  with  larches,  birch, 
and  aspin,  forming  a  most  pleasing  landscape;  a 
drawing  of  which  I  greatly  regretted  I  was  not 
able  to  take.  In  the  lower  part  of  the  pool  were 
several  island-rocks  from  one  to  two  yards  over; 
with  salmon  innumerable,  continually  leaping 
into  the  air,  which  had  attracted  a  great  con- 
course of  bears.  Some  of  them  diving  after  the 
fish:  and  I  often  observed  them  to  get  upon  a 
rock,  from  whence  they  would  take  a  high  leap,  fall 
headforemost  into  the  water,  dive  to  the  bottom, 
and  come  up  again  at  seventy  or  eighty  yards  dis- 
tance. Others  again  were  walking  along  shore; 
some  were  going  into  the  woods,  and  others  com- 
ing out.  I  had  not  sat  there  long,  ere  my  atten- 
tion was  diverted,  from  the  variety  of  objects, 
which  at  first  presented  themselves,  to  an  enor- 
mous, old,  dog  bear,  which  came  out  of  some  alder 


LABRxVDOR    JOURNAL  233 

hiishi's  on  my  riL;ht  ami  was  walking  slowly 
towards  me,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground, 
and  his  nose  not  far  t'rctni  it;  at  the  same  time  he 
presented  a  fair  forehead  to  nie:  I  turned  myself 
round  t(»  front  him,  drew  up  my  feet  to  elevate  my 
knees,  on  which  I  rested  my  elbows,  and  in  that 
position  suffered  him  to  come  within  live  yards 
of  me  before  I  drew  the  trigger;  wdien  I  placed 
my  ball  in  the  centre  of  his  scull,  and  killed  him 
dead:  but  as  the  shore  was  a  flat  reclining  rock, 
he  rolled  round  until  he  fell  into  the  river;  from 
the  edge  of  whidi,  he  dropped  at  least  four  yards. 
On  casting  my  eyes  around,  I  perceived  another 
beast  of  equal  size,  raised  half  out  of  the  water, 
lie  no  s(^oner  discovered  me,  than  he  made  tow'ards 
me  as  fast  as  he  could  swim.  As  I  was  not  then 
l)i<l)ared  to  reccixc  liim,  I  ran  into  the  wood  to 
make  ready  my  unerring  rifle,  ^^^lilst  I  was  em- 
ployed in  that  o]iei"ation,  he  dived  and  brought 
up  a  salmon;  which  he  repeatedly  tossed  up  a 
yard  or  two  in  the  air,  and  letting  fall  into  the 
watei',  would  dive  and  l)ring  it  up  again.  In  this 
maimer  he  diverted  himself  for  some  time,  fall- 
ing slowly  down  with  the  stream  until  he  was  shut 
out  from  my  sight,  by  some  bushes,  which  grew^ 
a  little  lower  down.  "Being  now  i*eady,  T  advanced 
to  the  attack,  and  ]n*esently  perceived  him,  stand- 
ing in  the  water  with  his  foi'c  paws  upon  a  rock, 
de\()urim;  the  salmon.  I  ci'cpt  thi'ough  the 
bushes  until  1  came  opjxisitc  to  him,  and  finding 
myself  llir-n  within  lifty  yai'ds,  I  inleiwupt ed  his 
repast,   by   sending   a    ball    through    his   head;    it 


234  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

entered  a  little  above  his  left  eye,  went  out  at 
the  root  of  his  right  ear,  and  knocked  him  over, 
he  then  appeared  to  be  in  the  agonies  of  death  for 
some  time;  but  at  last  recovered  sufficiently  to 
land  on  my  side  of  the  river,  and  to  stagger  into 
the  woods;  where  I  found  he  bled  so  copious  a 
stream,  that  it  was  impossible  that  he  could  go 
far.  Captain  Kettle  and  his  assistants  had  now 
finished  their  work,  and  joined  me  a  second  time; 
and  as  I  wished  them  to  skin  the  other  bear,  I  sent 
them  to  him  for  that  purpose. 

Never  in  my  life  did  I  regret  the  want  of  am- 
munition so  much  as  on  this  day;  as  I  was  by  the 
failure  interrupted  in  the  finest  sport  that  man 
ever  had.  I  usually  carried  fourteen  balls  in  a 
box  which  is  in  the  butt  of  my  rifle,  exclusive  of 
the  load;  besides  a  couple  of  bags,  tied  to  my 
bandoleer,  for  the  use  of  my  double-barrel;  one 
containing  six  balls,  and  the  other  shot.  But  this 
morning,  I  had  inadvertently  neglected  to  replen- 
ish the  box,  which  had  only  seven  balls  in  it,  and 
had  left  my  bandoleer  with  the  bags  in  the  boat, 
as  I  mentioned  before;  otherwise  I  am  certain, 
that  I  could  with  great  ease  have  killed  four  or 
five  brace  more.  They  were  in  such  plenty,  that 
I  counted  thirty-two  white-bears,  and  three  black 
ones :  but  there  were  certainly  many  more,  as  they 
generally  retire  into  the  woods  to  sleep  after 
making  an  hearty  meal;  and  they  could  not  be 
long  in  doing  that  here,  for  the  river  was  quite 
full  of  salmon. 

Having  now  only  two  balls  left  beside  that  in 


LABR.VDOR   JOURNAL  235 

my  ritle,  and  fearing  I  inigiit  be  tempted  to  fire 
them,  and  afterward  liave  my  retreat  disputed, 
or  be  attacked  by  one  or  more  enraged  bears  im- 
mediately after  I  had  fired  a  shot,  when  I  should 
have  nothing  to  defend  myself  with  but  the 
powder  only,  whieh  was  in  my  utlier  gun,  I 
thought  it  was  must  prudent  to  return  to  the  boat 
and  get  a  fresh  supply  of  anununition.  When  I 
got  down,  I  not  only  found  myself  very  nuirli 
fatigued,  but  the  day  was  much  spent,  and  we  had 
as  much  other  work  to  do,  as  the  remainder  of  it 
was  competent  to.  The  Shalloway  likewise  was 
left  in  so  exposed  a  situation,  that  she  might  eas- 
ily be  driven  from  her  anchors,  if  it  came  on  to 
blow  strong;  I  therefore  altered  my  intention, 
and  waited  the  return  of  the  other  three  people. 
It  was  not  long  before  the}"  came  down;  for  they 
were  not  able  to  skin  the  bear.  Although  his 
body  was  afloat  in  the  water,  which  was  about 
four  feet  deep,  and  nothing  but  his  head  rested 
upon  a  flat  rock,  yet  they  could  not  lift  even  that 
up.  It  was  with  the  utmost  exertion  of  their 
united  strength,  that  they  could  heave  him  off  the 
rock  with  assistance  of  leavers;  nor  could  they 
cant  him  on  his  back,  after  he  was  wholly  afloat, 
i]i  ordei'  to  skin  him  in  the  water;  much  less  were 
they  a})le  t(»  draw  him  on  shore.  AX'c  judged  him 
to  be  ;is  inucli  as  twelxc  hniidi-cd  pounds  weight; 
nor  ('(luld  lie  well  be  less  ib.iii  tb;it,  ;is  lie  stood 
six  feet  lii^h,  as  bis  carcass  was  as  l)ig  as  the 
largest  ox  I  ever  saw.  Findiiiu;  themselves  foiled 
in  every  other  attempt,  at  length  they  tied  wind- 


236  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

falls  to  him  and  launched  him  into  the  stream,  in 
hopes  that  we  might  pick  him  up  with  the  boat; 
but  the  trees  came  down  without  the  bear,  which 
made  us  conclude,  that  he  had  grounded  some- 
where above.  Thus  ended  in  disappointment,  the 
noblest  day's  sport  I  ever  saAv:  for  we  got  only 
one  skin,  although  we  had  killed  six  bears,  and 
not  one  morsel  of  flesh;  which  at  this  time  would 
have  been  particularly  acceptable,  as  we  had  eaten 
nothing  of  fourteen  hours. 

The  black-bear  which  I  saw  cross  the  river,  ap- 
peared to  swim  very  heavily;  and  I  do  not  believe 
that  they  can  dive  and  catch  fish  in  deep  water, 
but  content  themselves  with  walking  along  the 
shores,  where  the  water  is  not  out  of  their  depth, 
to  pick  up  the  offals  which  are  left  hy  the  white 
ones  and  otters;  or  such  as  die  of  their  wounds 
and  drive  on  shore;  but  they  will  catch  fish  in 
shallow  streams,  and  rake  up  clams  and  other 
shellfish.  When  they  first  come  out  of  their  caves 
in  the  spring,  for  want  of  better  food,  I  have  ob- 
served that  they  eat  dead  grass;  they  also  feed 
on  ants  and  other  insects  which  they  get  out  of 
rotten  windfalls;  these  they  tear  to  pieces  for 
that  purpose,  but  when  Empetrum  Nigrum  is 
ripe,  they  feed  almost  wholly  on  the  berries;  which 
not  only  make  them  fat,  but  also  give  their  flesh 
a  very  good  flavour.  As  they  have  no  chance  with 
a  white-bear,  they  always  avoid  the  unequal  com- 
bat; and  I  do  believe  they  will  attack  no  animal 
that  is  able  to  make  a  stout  resistance:  even  the 
porcupine,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  they  do  not 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  237 

molest,  tor  I  never  saw  or  heard  of  one,  which  had 
any  quills  of  that  ereature  in  him. 

Being  now  all  assemliled,  we  picked  up  the 
killicks  and  buoys,  which  we  stowed  in  the  salmon- 
house  along  with  such  other  things  as  I  intended 
should  remain  there  during  the  winter.  We  then 
took  the  nets  and  moorings  into  the  yawl,  and 
rowed  on  board  the  Otter,  which  we  reached  at 
ten  o'clock  at  night  as  tired  and  ravenous  as  a 
pack  of  fox-hounds  after  a  hard  day. 

Tiicsdaij,  July  28,  1778.  Having  got  on  board  a 
few  beams  from  above  the  salmon-post,  at  nine 
o'clock  we  sailed  for  Caribou  Castle;  where  we 
arrived  at  four  in  the  afternoon.  We  then  took 
on  board  some  beams,  longers,  and  blubber-casks; 
also  the  three  hogs,  with  some  other  things;  and 
at  midnight  sailed  for  the  stage. 

Wednes.,  July  29,  1778.  We  arrived  at  the 
stage  at  four  this  morning;  at  which  time  the 
shoremen  were  just  coming  out  of  it.  I  found 
three  hundred  and  twenty  quintals  of  fish  on 
shore,  one  small  pile  was  made,  and  five  boats 
were  at  sea;  ))nt  no  ])aits  wei'e  to  be  had.  At 
noon  Mr.  Daubeny  went  away  in  the  baitskiff 
for  Table  Bay,  in  quest  of  baits.  We  unloaded 
part  of  the  timber  out  of  the  Otter.  The  boats 
came  in  between  five  and  six  this  evening,  with 
forty  quintals  of  fish.* 

Thursdaji,  July  30,  1778.  Having  landed  most 
of  tlie  timber  out  of  the  Otter,  T  liad  the  iiuier  end 

'  At  thf  j)rf'Hctil  (lay  jish  is  the  tcchnicul  name  for  codlisli  on  tho 
LabraiJor  couat. 


238  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

of  the  stage  covered.  At  nine  o'clock,  I  went  off 
in  a  skiff  with  four  hands  to  Tern  Island,  where 
I  spread  some  old  salmon-nets  on  the  rocks,  shot 
twenty-two  terns,^  an  eider-duck  and  a  sea-par- 
rot^; all  of  which  I  gave  to  the  boats  for  baits; 
they  were  then  fishing  off  Long  Island. 

Thursday,  August  20,  1778.  At  six  this  morn- 
ing, the  Stag  came  in  with  the  fish  of  all  the  boats, 
amounting  to  nine  quintals  only;  the  boatmaster 
informed  me,  that  he  saw  a  A^essel  working  in  here 
yesterday,  and  gave  her  chase  until  the  wind  and 
sea  obliged  him  to  desist;  soon  after  which,  he 
saw  her  stand  out  to  sea  again.  At  noon,  Mr. 
Daubeny  sailed  in  the  Stag  in  quest  of  the  above 
vessel;  which  we  suppose  must  be  the  Countess  of 
Effingham. 

Friday,  August  21, 1778.  At  eight  this  morning 
the  vessel  was  discovered  about  four  or  five  miles 
to  windward  of  Blackguard  Bay.  She  could  have 
come  into  the  harbour  very  easily;  but  hauling 
her  wind,  she  weathered  the  Gannets,  and  stood 
out  to  sea  again;  which  makes  me  not  know  what 
to  think,  although  by  my  glass  I  could  plainly 
descry  her  to  be  a  ship  and  am  certain  she  is  mine. 
I  immediately  ran  to  the  top  of  the  highest  hill, 
and  set  fire  to  some  bushes  there,  but  she  took  no 
notice  of  it.  I  then  returned  and  sent  captain 
Kettle,  with  four  hands  in  the  Otter,  out  after 
her.    In  the  evening  I  saw  him  bear  away  round 

^  Probably  the  Arctic  tern,  Sterna  paradisoea. 

^  Puffin,  Fraterculus  arclicus.  This  bird  is  known  to-day  on  the  Labra- 
dor Coast  by  the  name  of  peroqueet. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  239 

Black  islands;  it  then  blowing  very  hard  with  a 
high  sea. 

Exceeding  cold  and  dark  weather. 

Saturdaij,  Aui/Ubi  22, 1778.  I  went  several  times 
upon  the  hill  to-day,  to  look  out  for  the  ship  and 
i)'jats;  l)ut  could  see  none  of  them  until  past  three 
in  the  afternoon;  then  I  discovered  the  ship  com- 
ing in  from  sea,  and  the  Wolvering  from  Black 
islands;  whereupon  I  sent  a  skiff  out  to  meet  the 
shallop,  and  order  her  to  speak  with  the  ship.  At 
dusk  the  latter  came  safe  to  an  anchor  in  the  har- 
bour, and  proved  to  be  the  Countess  of  Effingham, 
David  Kinloch  master,  laden  with  salt  from  Lis- 
bon; which  place  she  left  on  the  fourth  of  July. 
She  brought  the  first  intelligence  of  hostilities 
being  commenced  by  Great  Britain  against 
France,  by  the  taking  of  a  forty  gun  ship  and 
two  frigates.  Kinloch  made  Cape  St.  Francis  on 
the  fourteenth  instant;  and  had  met  with  very 
bad  weather  ever  since.  The  Beaver,  Wolvering 
and  Squirrel  came  in  this  evening,  and  brought 
twelve  quintals  of  fish;  they  informed  me  they 
saw  the  Marten  beating  up  between  Black  Islands 
and  Cape  land. 

Sunday,  Auf/ust  23,  1778.  Eai'ly  this  morning 
I  sent  the  Wohernig  on  a  cruise  to  the  southward, 
after  the  missing  boats.  The  ship  moored  in  her 
berth.  I  gave  all  li.iiids  Iwo  jxtuuds  of*  venison 
each  for  dinnci-.  Jacl-:  look  a  walk  to  tin;  other 
end  of  this  island,  whci-c  he  saw  a  sil\('i--fox,  and 
shot  six  (Mil-lews.  AHci-  dimici'  1  went  with  all 
my  faniil}'  to  Slink  Point,  whci'c  we  picked  a  bowl 


240  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

full  of  baked  apples;  I  also  shot  two  grouse,  and 
Jack  five.  In  the  evening,  the  Martin  came  in; 
she  had  ridden  the  gale  out,  under  North  Head. 
At  ten  at  night  the  Otter  returned;  she  had  torn 
her  sails  very  much  in  the  gale  on  Friday  last, 
and  had  taken  shelter  between  the  two  Black 
Islands;  where  captain  Kettle  informs  me,  there 
is  a  good  harbour  for  ships.  The  Wolvering  met 
with  her  there,  gave  her  some  provisions,  and  then 
worked  into  Gready  Harbour. 

Wednes.,  August  26, 1778.  At  three  in  the  after- 
noon a  ship  was  discovered  to  the  eastward  of  the 
Sisters,  standing  in  for  this  place;  I  sent  Mr. 
Daubeny  off  to  her,  in  a  skiff  with  four  hands,  and 
soon  after  perceived,  that  she  had  my  baitskiff  in 
tow. 

Thursday,  August  27,  1778.  At  one  o'clock  this 
morning,  I  was  alarmed  by  a  loud  rapping  at 
my  door,  which  when  I  had  opened,  a  body  of 
armed  men  rushed  in;  they  informed  me  that 
they  belonged  to  the  Minerva  privateer,  of  Bos- 
ton in  New-England,  commanded  by  John  Grimes ; 
mounting  twenty  nine-pounders,  and  manned 
with  a  hundred  and  sixty  men;  and,  that  I  was 
their  prisoner.  They  then  demanded  all  my  keys, 
took  possession  of  both  my  vessels;  also  the  Otter, 
then  full  of  goods  which  she  was  going  to  land 
from  the  brig,  and  of  all  my  stores  which  were 
on  shore.  About  nine,  the  Minerva  worked  into 
Blackguard  Bay,  and  came  to  an  anchor  there. 
I  then  went  on  board  her,  and  was  received  with 
civility  by  captain  Grimes;    who  told  me  that, 


LABRxVDOR    JOUENxVL  241 

some  days  ago,  he  had  entered  Temple  Bay  and 
taken  three  vessels  from  Noble  and  Pinson,  which 
he  had  tilled  with  tish,  and  stores  from  the  shore 
and  sent  off  for  Boston.  He  said  that  many 
of  the  lishermen  had  entered  with  him;  among 
whom  were  two  men  who  had  lately  lived  with 
me,  and  who  had  informed  him  where  I  lived. 
From  thence  he  went  to  Charles  Harbonr,  where 
he  had  taken  one  vessel  from  ^Ir.  Slade,  another 
from  Mr.  Seydes,  and  had  plundered  my  pos- 
sessions there  and  at  Ranger  Lodge;  at  the 
former  place  another  man  who  lived  with  me 
last  year,  and  one  of  my  salmoniers  at  the  lat- 
ter, had  entered  with  him.  I  requested  the  re- 
leasement  of  Mr.  Daubeny,  who  was  kept  prisoner 
on  board,  but  he  would  not  grant  it.  *He  sent  an 
officer  and  a  party  of  men  in  my  l)aitskiff  to  Cari- 
bou Castle,  to  plunder  there  also.  The  skiff  was 
piloted  by  that  villain  Dominick  Kinnien,  who 
went  out  baitmaster  of  her  for  the  first  time  yes- 
terday, and  who,  together  with  liis  whole  crew 
of  six  men,  had  entered  with  the  privateer's 
people  the  instant  they  got  on  board.  In  the 
course  of  the  day,  they  shipped  what  was  in  the 
Otter  on  board  the  Countess  of  Effingham,  and  in 
the  evening  sent  her  off  for  Boston.  In  going  out 
of  the  har])our,  they  ran  her  on  shore  off  the  low 
point  on  the  east  side,  l)ut  soon  gol  lici*  off  again, 
and  went  to  sea  through  tlie  norlh-east  passage. 
In  the  night  I  s]ip])ed  a  skiff  out  of  th<^  hnrl)oiir 
with  foui"  liaiids,  lo  infoi-iii  tlw  bo.-ils,  ;iii(l  order 
them  to  go  into  Noiih  li;irbouj-,  in  Table  Bay. 


242  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

Friday,  August  28,  1778.  The  Minerva  came 
into  the  harbour  this  morning,  where  she  moored, 
and  filled  her  empty  water-casks.  The  Otter  and 
Stag  were  sent  to  Caribou,  to  bring  down  what 
was  there;  and  they  shipped  off  some  of  my  dry 
fish,  and  most  of  the  goods  which  were  here.  By 
this  time,  many  of  my  people  had  entered  on 
board  the  privateer,  and  some  of  them  had  in- 
formed the  captain  of  the  four  men  going  away 
in  the  skiff  last  night ;  which  enraged  him  and  his 
people  so  much,  that  I  found  it  prudent,  to  send 
Indian  Jack  by  land,  with  orders  for  the  boats  to 
come  in  here. 

Saturday,  August  29,  1778.  In  the  course  of 
this  day,  the  remaining  part  of  the  dry  fish,  and 
most  of  the  goods  which  were  here,  were  shipped 
off  on  board  the  Reconciliation.  In  the  afternoon 
the  three  shallops  which  were  out  a  fishing,  came 
into  the  harbour,  the  people  were  set  on  shore, 
and  the  sails  were  unbent:  but  the  Indian  bo3\ 
was  kept  on  board.  In  the  afternoon,  the  surgeon 
of  the  privateer  drove  the  two  Indian  women  on 
board,  and  the  child,  Phillis,  was  soon  sent  after 
them.  In  the  night,  the  Otter  and  the  Stag  re- 
turned from  Caribou,  with  all  my  property  from 
that  place.  At  supper,  having  heard  that  they 
intended  to  send  to  Paradise  and  White-bear 
River  for  what  was  there,  I  dropped  a  hint,  of 
expecting  a  frigate  here  immediately;  and  it  had 
the  desired  effect. 

Sunday,  August  30,  1778.  Early  this  morning, 
I  found  the  enemy  in  a  great  bustle.    They  took  on 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  243 

board  the  privateer,  all  the  goods  which  had  been 
brought  down  from  Caribou,  except  a  chest  of 
l)aggage,  which  Grimes  returned;  but  man}^ 
things  were  pillaged  out  of  it.  He  then  gave  me 
a  small  quantity  of  provisions,  returned  my  boats 
and  most  of  their  sails,  and  by  noon,  the  ship  to- 
gether with  my  lirig  went  to  sea  through  Western 
Tickle,  and  steered  away  north-east  by  east;  pass- 
ing to  the  westward  of  the  Gannet  Islands.  May 
the  devil  go  with  them  I 

The  Minerva's  guns  formerly  belonged  to  one 
of  his  Majesty's  frigates,  which  was  cast  away 
near  Boston;  I  think  the  Syren.  The  first  lieuten- 
ant's name  is  Carlton;  the  third,  Cushin;  the 
master's  Ogilvie;  lieutenant  of  the  marines, 
Larey;  and  the  surgeon's,  Elliot.  Carlton  and 
Elliot  are  two  of  as  great  villains  as  any  un- 
hanged; the  other  three  behaved  exceeding  well, 
particularly  ^Ir.  Ogilvie,  of  whose  civilities  I  shall 
ever  retain  a  most  grateful  remembrance.  I 
should  be  particularly  happy  to  have  it  in  my 
|)f)\ver  to  reward  properly  the  infamous  behaviour 
of  Carlton  and  Elliot;  and  the  villainy  of  Thomas 
Adnins,  lately  a  mate  in  the  service  of  Noble  and 
Pinson;  also  of  Michael  Bryan,  Luke  Ryan,  Den- 
nis Ryan,  and  Doniinir-k  Kinin'en,  lately  my  serv- 
ants, who  were  hy  far  tlic  most  active  in  disti'ess- 
ing  me.  Tliey  were  the  persons  who  L;ave  in- 
formal inn  wlicrc  r  li\-('(],  |)il(»lcd  the  slii])  to  this 
I)laee,  and  diseovere<|  to  the  enemy  the  places 
where  groat  part  of  my  |n-operty  lay.  CnMrnes  is 
a  lying  rascal;   I'oi-,  lie  voluntarily  made  me  many 


244  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

promises,  and  afterwards  broke  them  all.  Many 
of  my  people  entered,  and  went  away  in  the  pri- 
vateer; and  most  of  the  remainder  would  have 
done  so  likewise,  under  the  apprehension  of  be- 
ing left  here  destitute  of  the  means  either  of  sub- 
sisting, or  getting  off  the  island:  but  I  thought  it 
my  duty  to  my  king  and  country,  even  in  my  then 
distressed  situation,  to  prevent  the  desertion. 
Grimes  turned  two  rascals  on  shore  again,  and  I 
immediately  gave  them  a  most  severe  beating 
w^ith  a  sound  stick. 

The  rest  of  this  day  was  spent  in  landing  the 
provisions  which  Grimes  had  returned,  and  in 
picking  up  the  few  things  which  were  left  scat- 
tered up  and  down;  and  I  had  the  pleasure  to 
find,  that  they  had  forgot  a  puncheon  of  olive  oil, 
and  my  three  live  swine.  As  soon  as  they  were 
gone,  I  took  up  my  gun,  walked  out  upon  the 
island  and  shot  a  curlew. 

A  very  fine  day. 

A  list  of  my  people  who  entered  on  board  the  privateer  voluntarily,  and 
also  of  those  who  were  impressed  /  distinguishing  the  stations  in  which 
they  were  employed,  at  the  time  they  quitted  my  service. 

Entered  at  Charles  Harbour 
John  Downing,  salmonier. 

Entered  at  Great  Island 

*  John  Kettle,  master  of  the  David  Kennedy,  youngster; 

Reconcihation  William  Raylie,  ditto  ; 

*  On  being  informed  by  the  officers  of  the  privateer,  that  Kettle  had 
entered  with  them,  as  a  prize-master,  I  expostulated  with  him;  and  en- 
deavored to  persuade  him,  to  continue  firm  on  the  side  of  his  king  and 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL 


245 


\\  illiani  John^^ton,  mate  of  the 

Reconciliation. 
Thomas  L'uhill,  boatmaster. 
Domiiiick  Kinnieu,  baitmaster. 
Nichola.s  Power,  midshipman; 
Kichard  \\  helan,  ditto; 
Darby  Sullivan,  ditto. 
Jos.  Flemniiug,  loresheetman; 
Murtough  Kelly,  ditto; 
John  Sheehy,  ditto. 
John  Dalton,  sphtter. 
Michael  Downey,  header; 
Michael  Rielly,  ditto. 
Patrick  Carrol,  cooper. 
Patrick  Bryan,  youngster; 
Cornelius   Keef.  ditto; 
Ihonias  Denn,  ditto; 
Thomjis  Dawson,  ditto; 
Patrick  Sheehy,  ditto; 


James  Cleary,  ditto; 

Edward  Fling,  ditto; 

John  Scannd,  apprentice; 

James  Uobeu,  sailor; 

James  Simon,  ditto; 

John  Conake,  ditto; 

Thomiis  (a  boy)  ditto; 

Angel  Bennett,  ditto; 

Martin  Cornelius,  do.  |  Dutch- 

I.  P.  Edzard,  ditto.      i    men. 

Jack,  a  bo)'  about  17  years  old; 

Cattook,  a  woman  about  26; 

Tweegock,  a  woman  about  18; 

Phillis,    a    girl    S}4,    daughter    to 

Tweegock. 
The    last     four     are     Esquimaux, 
and  my  household  servants;    who 
were    carried    away,    to    be    made 
slaves  of. 


Total  36 

The  crew  of  tlie  Minerva  was  composed  of  a 
variety  of  nations;  ])ut  the  major  part  of  them, 
were  En.^-lish  and  Irish;  and  tlie  officers  told  me, 
that  they  had  not  al)Ove  ten  native  Americans 
anioiifT^st  them.     Grimes  is  the  son  of  a  snperan- 

country;  upon  which  he  pretended,  that  he  was  only  taking  the  advantage 
of  going  a.s  pas.senger  to  Boston,  in  order  to  get  to  England  from  thence. 
The  next  year,  he  went  to  England  and  complained,  that  on  hia  arrival 
at  Boston,  he  was  confined  a  prisoner,  until  he  was  exchanged;  and  he 
compelled  me  to  pay  him,  all  the  wages  which  were  due  to  him  at  the 
time  he  entererl  on  board  the  privateer.  I  wa.'i  afterwards  informed, 
that  all  the  rest  of  the  traitors  (who  entered  from  me  and  the  other  mer- 
chants on  the  coast,  in  expectation  of  sharing  the  plunder)  were  served 
in  the  same  manner.  Clrimes  artfully  hehl  out  a  share  of  the  booty,  to 
inveigle  the  fishennen  to  enter  with  him,  in  order  that  he  might  replace 
those  men  whom  he  had  sent  away  in  the  different  jirizes;  otherwise  he 
would  not  have  haf!  men  enow  left,  to  navigate  his  own  sliip;  but  on  his 
arrival  at  Boston,  he  thrr-w  them  jill  into  |)rison,  to  che.-it  them  of  their 
share  of  the  iirizf-rnoncv.  Tin,'  villains  were  served  right,  and  Clrimes 
acted  in  character. 


246  CAPTAIN   OARTWRIGHT'S 

nuated  boatswain  at  Portsmoutli ;  *  Ogilvie,  a 
Scotcliman,  and  formerly  a  mate  of  an  East  India- 
man;  tLarey,  an  Irishman;  §  Elliot,  was  born  in 
the  Towner  of  London;  ^Carlton  and  11  Cushen, 
were  the  only  native  Americans  I  saw;  the  latter, 
is  descended  from  an  opnlent  family  of  that  name 
at  Boston,  who  were  principal  owners  of  the  ship, 
and  he  was  much  of  a  gentleman  in  his  behaviour: 
the  other,  was  foiTtierly  a  Marble-head  fisherman, 
and  as  great  a  villain  as  any  this  day  unhung. 
Just  before  they  sailed,  as  I  w^as  begging  a 
few  nails  of  Mr.  Grimes,  Carlton,  who  was. walk- 
ing the  quarterdeck,  stopped  short  and  said  to 
me,  '^  G— d  d— n  you,  sir,  if  I  commanded  this 
ship,  I  would  not  leave  you  a  rag  by  G— d;  I 
would  carry  off  all  I  could;  and  what  I  could 
not,  I  would  burn;  then  if  you,  and  those  who 
remain  with  you,  could  not  eat  those  rocks  (point- 
ing to  the  shore)  you  might  starve  and  be 
d-d." 

Monday,  August  31,  1778.  We  washed  out  the 
remainder  of  the  fish  that  was  left  in  the  stage. 
Two  of  the  men  who  went  away  in  the  skiff  ap- 
peared upon  Slink  Point  this  forenoon.  I  sent  a 
boat  for  them,  and  after  dinner,  had  them  landed 
on  the  south-east  side  of  the  harbour,  with  orders 
to  return  to  North  Harbour,  where  the  other  two 
were,  to  haul  the  skiff  up  there,  and  then  all  to 
come  home;  and  they  accordingly  returned  in  the 
evening.    I  then  mustered  my  people,  and  found, 

*  The  sailinpc  master.  t  Lieutenant  of  marines.  §  Surgeon- 

X  First    Lieutenant.  1 1  Third   Lieutenant. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  247 

that  the  innaiiiiiig  uiiniber,  inchiding  the  iiiau  at 
Rxinger  Lodge,  and  the  crew  at  Paradise, 
amounted  in  the  whole  to  thirty-seven.  And  upon 
the  best  calculation  we  were  able  to  make,  we 
judged,  that  I  cannot  be  less  than  fourteen  thoti- 
sand  poinids  worse  for  this  visit;  which  I  have 
great  reason  to  fear,  will  prove  my  ruin.  Had  not 
this  happened,  we  had  calctilated  upon  fifteen 
hundred  pounds  profit  on  the  year's  Avork.  As 
the  goods  which  the  Americans  took  from  me, 
were  such  as  they  were  greatly  distressed  for  at 
r^oston,  they  valtied  their  capture  at  seventy  thou- 
sand poimds. 

I  shot  a  ])race  of  curlews  to-day,  and  the  skiff 's- 
crew  brought  a  porctipine. 

Tuesday,  Scjtf ember  1,  1778.  I  made  prepara- 
tions for  sending  two  shallops  to  Newfoundland; 
we  laid  one  of  them  on  shore  to  clean  her  bottom, 
and  got  her  off  again  in  the  evening.  Mr.  Colling- 
ham  went  to  Caribou,  to  see  what  was  left  there. 
I  shot  one  curie w\ 

It  rained  all  day. 

Wednes.,  Septemher  2,  1778.  T  wrote  several 
letters.  Mr.  Collingham  returned  at  noon  and 
said,  that  nothing  was  left  at  Caribou  besides  my 
bf'd,  a  few  ])ad  ])ease,  some  kegs  of  sour  oatmeal 
aiifl  tlie  old  seal-nets:  they  even  took  the  dial- 
plale,  o^^  tlu'  ))ost  ill  Hie  garden. 

Tlnirsdni/,  Sejffewher  .?,  1778.  At  two  this  af- 
ternoon, Mr.  7')aul)eny  sailed  in  the  Stag  with  four 
hands  j'oi-  Cliarles  Harbour:  fVom  whence  he  is 
to  go  on  to  Newfoundland,  to  ptirchase  some  pro- 


248  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

visions  and  a  few  other  necessaries.  At  the  same 
time  captain  Kinlock  sailed  in  the  Wolvering  for 
St.  John's,  in  Newfoundland,  with  the  sailors; 
where  he  is  to  sell  the  boat  and  endeavour  to  pro- 
cure a  vessel,  to  carry  the  salmon  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  codfish  to  market. 

Monday,  September  7,  1778.  My  new  house 
which  was  building,  was  pulled  down;  and  the 
materials  carried  into  the  stage,  to  be  ready  to  be 
sent  up  the  harbour  where  I  intend  to  build  a 
house  for  myself  to  live  in  this  winter;  because  I 
am  sure  we  shall  be  so  short  of  provisions,  that 
if  we  have  not  good  success  with  our  traps  and 
guns,  we  must  all  inevitably  perish  for  want  of 
food,  before  a  vessel  can  possibly  arrive  next  sum- 
mer; and  there  is  no  chance  of  killing  much  about 
Caribou. 

Wednes.,  September  9,  1778.  We  spread  the 
green  fish,  put  it  into  piles  this  evening,  and 
heaved  one  pile.  After  breakfast  I  took  traps  up 
to  the  highest  part  of  this  island  and  tailed  them 
for  hares.  At  noon,  we  saw  a  shallop  coming  in 
here  from  the  southward.  Fearing  a  privateer's 
crew  might  be  in  her,  I  armed  all  my  people  with 
guns,  sticks  or  stones,  and  placed  them  in  ambush 
behind  one  of  the  window-leaves  of  the  stage; 
but  it  proved  to  be  William  Phippard,  who  is  go- 
ing with  four  hands  to  winter  in  Ivucktoke  Bay. 
He  informed  me  that  the  privateer  had  plundered 
the  merchants  in  Temple  Bay  and  Charles  Har- 
bour, very  severely;  by  his  account,  more  so  than 
they  did  me. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  249 

Satiirdai/,  Sepfonher  19, 1778.  The  people  began 
to  build  my  new  house  to-day,  but  the  weather  soon 
obliged  them  to  desist. 

Wednes.,  September  23,  1778.  Early  this  morn- 
ing I  sent  Smith  and  four  hands  in  the  Lance  to 
Caribou,  to  ])ring  the  doors,  windows,  kitchen 
range,  and  some  other  things  from  that  house.  I 
fitted  out  Joseph  Tero  for  a  furring  voyage  to 
White-bear  River,  at  which  place  he  is  to  reside 
by  himself  during  the  winter.  I  sent  him  off  in 
tlie  Otter,  under  the  command  of  Mr.  Colling- 
ham;  from  whence  she  is  to  go  to  Paradise,  re- 
turn to  AMiite-bear  River,  and  then  come  back 
here. 

Saturday,  Scptemler  26,  1778.  After  breakfast 
I  went  \\\)  Curlew  Harbour,  sliifted  the  two  first 
ofter  traps,  tailed  two  for  foxes  and  another  large 
one  in  the  middle  path  for  deer.  I  then  sent  Terry 
to  the  eastern  hills.  Lnmediately  after  I  saw  a 
large  stag  upon  the  south  hill,  winding  and  look- 
ing at  me;  he  then  trotted  off  to  the  northward, 
and  I  let  him  pass;  crossing  his  route  and  sinking 
the  wind,  T  made  all  possible  speed  to  the  foot  of 
Gravel  Hills,  where  I  headed  him.  He  walked 
slowly  past  me  within  fifteen  yai'ds,  and  must  cer- 
tainly liave  been  killed  had  not  my  L!,un  missed 
fire:  lie  immediately  set  off  in  a  full  run,  wlien  T 
fii-cd  linslily  .aftei'  him,  but  without  suceess.  Such 
misfoi'tunes  will  ha])]K'u  sr)me1imes,  and  had  T  not 
met  with  worse,  T  should  have  had  no  cause  of 
coniitlaint  in  this  instanee;  but  now,  in  my  pres- 
ent seai-city  oi*  food,  I  must  look  ujxtn   it   as  no 


250  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

inconsiderable  loss;  for  he  was  a  noble,  fat  beast. 
I  also  saw  many  grouse,  and  killed  four. 

Wednes.,  September  30, 1778.  At  eleven  o'clock 
I  went  up  South-east  Cove,  and  walked  from 
thence  to  the  eastern  traps;  the  bridge  of  the 
furthest  large  one  had  been  turned  by  a  fox;  but 
a  small  stump  which  I  did  not  perceive  before 
caught  one  of  the  jaws  and  prevented  it  from 
striking  up;  by  the  side  of  the  trap  I  found  five 
large  mice,^  which  the  fox  had  dropped  out  of  his 
mouth.  In  the  mean  time,  Martin  walked  to  the 
top  of  Mount  Martin,  where  he  met  with  several 
grouse,  and  killed  four;  from  thence  he  discov- 
ered a  large  stag,  which  he  supposed  had  winded 
me,  and  was  coming  up  the  path,  which  leads  from 
the  south-east  end  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  where 
he  waylay ed  and  killed  him.  I  have  mentioned 
this  hill  before,  yet  it  was  not  until  to-day, 
and  from  the  above  circumstance  that  I  named 
it. 

Thursday,  October  1,  1778.  At  eight  this  morn- 
ing, I  went  with  four  hands  in  the  Roebuck,  to 
fetch  home  the  venison.  We  broke  him  up  where 
he  lay,  and  brought  all  down  at  one  time,  together 
with  two  brace  of  grouse  which  Martin  shot.  He 
proved  a  noble  creature,  had  twenty-nine  points 
on  his  head,  measured  twelve  hands  and  three 
inches  in  height,  produced  ten  pounds  of  suet, 
and  weighed  as  follows:  viz.,  his  quarters  two 
hundred  and  seventy  pounds,  head  twenty  pounds, 

'  Perhaps  the  larger  Labrador  meadow  mouse,  Microtus  pennsylvanicus 
enixcus. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  251 

and  humbles  twenty  pounds.  He  is  just  such  a 
beast  as  I  shot  at  on  Saturday  last,  perhaps  he  is 
the  same;  yet  neither  so  old  nor  so  large  as  the 
one  which  I  killed  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  Oc- 
tober in  the  year  seventy,  but  in  much  better  con- 
dition; having  an  inch  of  fat  on  his  ribs,  and  an 
inch  and  a  half  on  his  haunches. 

Sunday,  October  4,  1778.  This  afternoon,  four 
Nescaupick,  or  Mountaineer  Indians  came  here  in 
two  canoes,  and  were  the  same  whom  I  had  seen 
at  Caribou  tw^o  years  ago.  They  had  no  furs  with 
them,  and  went  back  at  sunset;  promising  that 
they  would  return  in  a  day  or  two,  and  bring  all 
the  rest  of  their  tribe,  whom  they  had  left  at  Cari- 
bou. 

Monday,  October  5,  1778.  Three  Indians  ap- 
pearing upon  Berry  Hill,  I  went  and  brought  them 
over  to  my  house.  These  v^ere  the  chief,  whose 
name  is  Pere  Barecack;  his  wife,  Cowcosish,  and 
their  daughter,  Catherine  Ooquioo;  a  girl  about 
sixteen  years  of  age:  they  did  me  the  honour  to 
stay  all  night;  got  drunk,  and  \vere  very  trouble- 
some. I  purchased  one  ranger,  and  five  beaver 
skins  of  them,  being  all  they  ])rought. 

Sunday,  October  11,  177 s^.  Wintei*  begins  now 
to  appeal";  the  Mealy  Mountains  have  put  on  their 
new  liveries,  and  every  downfnll  whitens  the 
heads  of  tlic  ])igli  hills.  Tlu'  dcci-  .-n-c  l)(\-i1ing  out 
to  the  barren  headlands  on  the  sea  coast;  the  eider, 
and  king-ducks'  are  hastening  to  the  southward; 
and  yroiisc  nrc  chHttci'inu-  in  great  flocks  upon  the 

'  King    cider,    Sornaleria    Hpcrtdljilis. 


252  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

hills:  I  am  afraid  it  will  overtake  me,  before  I 
am  ready  for  it.  Mr.  Daubeny  not  being  yet  re- 
turned, with  a  supply  of  provisions  and  clothing, 
makes  me  very  uneasy.  Under  these  distresses 
and  inquietudes,  would  any  man  believe,  that  my 
people  have  been  ready  to  mutiny,  because  I 
would  give  them  no  salted  pork  along  with  their 
two  pounds  of  fat  venison  each  day  for  dinner? 
Yet  it  is  a  fact:  nor  could  I  quiet  them  until  I 
peremptorily  declared,  that  I  could  not  possibly 
suffer  any  salted  meat  to  be  expended,  whilst  any 
fresh  remained  in  the  house;  and  that,  if  they 
were  not  content,  I  would  give  them,  what  I  verily 
believed  they  much  deserved,  a  hearty  drubbing. 

Monday,  October  12, 1778.  At  nine  at  night  Mr. 
Collingham  returned  from  Paradise  with  some 
hoop-poles,  planks,  salmon-nets,  and  all  the  peo- 
ple from  thence.  At  Longstretch  he  found  all  the 
Indians,  who  intended  going  to  Paradise.  They 
had  eight  canoes,  and  were  about  forty  in  num- 
ber; from  them  he  purchased  forty-eight  beaver, 
eleven  otter,  and  three  black-bear  skins. 

Thursday,  October  29,  1778.  At  three  o'clock 
this  morning,  I  sent  off  all  my  discharged  servants 
in  the  Otter;  there  were  thirteen  of  them.  We 
repacked  the  largest  pile  of  fish,  upon  the  place 
where  it  is  to  stand  all  winter. 

Wednes.,  November  4,  1778.  About  one  o'clock 
this  morning,  Mr.  Daubeny,  and  the  four  hands 
whom  he  took  with  him,  returned  in  a  shallop  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Seydes  and  Co.  He  had  borrowed 
this  vessel  to  bring  the  provisions,  &c.  which  he 


Fishing  Schooners  going  North,  Mealy  Mountains  in  the  Distance 


A   Deal  of   Ice  near   the   Land  " 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  253 

had  purchased  in  Newfouudland;  having  had  the 
misfortune  to  be  cast  away  at  the  mouth  of  Inglis 
Harbour,  and  to  loose  the  Stag  in  his  return  to 
this  place;  but  he  saved  all  the  provisions  and 
the  rigging  of  the  boat.  He  met  the  Otter  in  Bat- 
teau  Harl)our,  and  would  have  persuaded  the  peo- 
ple to  turn  back,  in  order  that  these  men  might 
go  away  also,  as  I  did  not  want  them;  but  he 
could  not  prevail  on  them  to  do  so,  as  the  winter 
was  so  far  advanced.  This  is  an  additional  dis- 
tress to  me;  for  I  now  have  ])ut  nine  barrels  of 
pork  f<ir  fourteen  people,  when  I  ought  to  have  as 
much  more;  as  I  don't  expect  any  vessel  before 
the  middle  of  July;  so  that  w^e  are  now  in  great 
danger  of  being  stai'^^ed  for  w^ant  of  food,  before 
we  can  get  a  fresh  supply. 

Friday  J  November  13,  1778.  Early  this  morn- 
ing I  went  to  the  new  house,  wath  Mr.  Collinghani 
and  one  man  in  the  Roelnick,  and  then  walked  to 
Blar-kguard  Bay  to  look  for  the  last  lost  trap,  ])ut 
could  not  find  it.  At  noon  Mr.  Daubeny  and  the 
rest  of  the  family  followed  in  the  Caplin  with  a 
load  of  furniture,  and  we  now  took  possession  of 
our  new  habitation;  which  is  much  too  small,  for 
want  of  more  l)oa]'ds  and  nails. 

Sundaif,  Novemher  1,5,  1778.  I  went  round  niy 
traps  in  Blackguard  Bay;  in  one,  I  had  a  capital 
silver-fox,  approaching  nearly  to  a  l)lack;  *  in  an- 
other there  was  a  good  cross-fox,  and  T  shot  an- 

•  In  Ffhni.'iry  1780,  this  fox  w.tn  sold  by  :niftion  in  London,  for  forty 
p;tjinr'aM;  iinfl  h;ifl  he  not.  boon  HliRhtly  nihbfd  on  ono  hip  by  bcinn 
two  nights  in  tlf  Imp,  he  would  h;ivf  fotrhcd  .sixty;  bcinj?  cstecnicd  the 
beat  that  Jiad  bfcn  iiuixirted  of  nevon  years. 


254  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

other  cross-fox  with  my  rifle,  and.  tailed  the  tliree 
traps  which  I  struck  up  some  time  ago.  Mr.  Dau- 
beny  papered  part  of  the  roof  of  the  house. 

Thursday,  December  24,  1778.  Mr.  Daubeny 
visited  two  of  his  traps  and  had  the  leg  of  a  white- 
gull,^  which  had  been  eaten  out  by  a  fox.  I  went 
to  two  of  mine  and  shot  a  brace  of  ptarmigans. 
This  being  Christmas  Eve,  I  gave  the  people  some 
brandy  as  usual,  and  they  all  got  very  drunk,  in 
conformity  to  annual  custom;  which,  I  presume, 
was  first  imported  into  Newfoundland  from  Ire- 
land, and  brought  hither  from  thence. 

Severe  frost  with  some  drift. 

Thursday,  January  21,  1779.  I  rested  very  in- 
differently last  night,  and  was  much  indisposed 
all  this  day;  occasioned  by  drinking  too  much 
new  spruce-beer  3^esterday;  and  the  fatigue  of 
the  two  last  days;  having  walked  full  fourteen 
miles  each,  without  rackets;  which  caused  me  to 
sink  into  the  snow  three  or  four  inches  in  general; 
frequently  down  to  my  knees,  and  sometimes  to 
my  middle.  Notwithstanding  all  this,  and  the 
walking  as  fast  as  possible,  some  spruce-beer, 
which  I  carried  in  an  elastic  bottle  in  my  upper 
waistcoat-pocket  close  to  my  ribs,  froze  so,  as  to 
lose  all  fluidity. 

'  This  was  perhaps  an  ivory  gull,  Pagophila  alha,  a  bird  that  comes  to 
Labrador  with  the  winter  and  arctic  ice,  at  the  time  when  the  kittiwakes 
and  herring  gulls  are  departing  for  the  south.  The  Labrador  men  at  the 
present  day  call  them  "  ice  partridges  "  and  shoot  them  as  tliej'  hover 
about  seals'  blood  which  has  been  poured  on  the  ice  to  attract  them. 
Mrs.  Holmes  in  the  "  Log  of  the  Laura,"  p.  60,  speaks  of  the-.shooting  of 
"  snow  grouse  or  ivory  gulls  "  on  the  east  coast  of  Greenland. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  255 

Thursdaif,  Fcbraarf)  4,  1779.  i  visited  my 
southern  ti'iqjs,  and  found  both  stations  robbed. 
From  thence  I  intended  going  to  the  top  of  Table 
Hill,  but  on  coming  to  the  foot  of  it,  I  crossed  the 
track  of  a  wohering  with  one  of  ^Ir.  Collingham's 
trajjs  on  his  foot.  Leaving  my  sled  and  dog  there, 
I  followed,  and  came  up  to  him  on  the  west  side 
of  the  hill;  and  on  my  return,  tailed  the  trap  in 
a  marsh  by  the  shoal  ponds;  observing  that  the 
foxes  had  followed  his  bleeding  track.  As  this 
beast  went  through  the  thick  of  the  woods,  under 
the  north  side  of  the  hill,  where  the  snow  was  so 
deep  and  light,  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  dif- 
ficulty I  could  follow  him  even  in  Indian  rackets, 
I  was  quite  puzzled  to  know  how  he  had  contrived 
to  prevent  the  trap  from  catching  hold  of  the 
branches  of  the  trees,  or  sinking  in  the  snow ;  but, 
on  coming  up  with  him,  I  discovered  how  ho  had 
managed:  for,  after  making  an  attempt  to  fl}^  at 
me,  he  took  the  trap  in  his  mouth  and  ran  upon 
three  legs.  I  now  do  not  w^onder  at  the  stories 
which  I  have  heard  of  their  carrying  a  ti-ap  so 
far.  Tliese  creatures  are  surprisingly  strong  in 
proportion  to  their  size:  this  weighed  only  twenty- 
six  pounds,  and  the  trap  eight,  yet,  including  all 
the  turns  he  had  taken,  he  had  carried  it  six  miles. 

Tuesdaj/,  Frbruar?/  9,  1779.  From  tlie  abun- 
dance of  fresh  slot,  which  has  generally  been  seen 
horeabouts,  by  visitors  to  these  pnrts  dunng  the 
tlircc  pi-cfcding  winters,  T  was  induced  to  believe, 
that  the  peninsula  of  Cn])('  North  was  never  with- 
out  deer.     But  I  am   now   convinced,  that   they 


256  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

resort  thither  in  the  greatest  numbers  from  the 
time  the  rut  first  begins  to  affect  them  (which  is 
early  in  October)  until  the  ice  is  firm  to  the  east- 
ward of  it,  w^hich  is  generally  by  the  middle  of 
January.  At  this  time  they  go  off  to  the  outer- 
most islands,  in  order  to  b^  more  out  of  the  way 
of  the  wolves;  and  those  islands  lie  so  far  from 
hence,  that  w^e  cannot  go  to  them  and  back  again 
in  a  day,  nor  do  they  afford  shelter  to  pass  the 
night  in,  being  destitute  of  wood.  In  about  an- 
other month,  I  expect  they  wdll  begin  to  draw  in 
a  little  more  to  the  continent,  but  I  do  not  think 
they  are  so  plentiful  on  this  part  of  the  coast  as 
they  were  in  former  winters;  because,  I  never 
knew  wolves  to  be  so  scarce  as  of  late. 

Not  a  single  track  of  a  w^hite-bear  has  been  seen 
for  a  long  time  past,  which  makes  me  think  that 
those  creatures  keep  out  upon  the  outer  edge  of 
the  ice  during  the  winter;  for,  there  they  may 
meet  with  seals.  When  they  come  on  shore,  I 
23resume  it  is  chiefly  on  the  outer  islands;  yet  I 
have  sometimes  known  them  go  far  into  the  coun- 
try in  the  winter:  but  how  they  can  procure  food 
there,  is  to  me  unknown;  for  I  cannot  believe 
they  can  catch  any  other  land  animal  than  the 
porcupine,  and  of  them  but  few;  they  must  also 
pay  severely  for  a  scanty  meal,  from  the  pain 
occasioned  by  the  quills  which  nature  has  pro- 
vided for  its  defence.  As  to  fish,  they  certainly 
can  catch  but  few,  and  those  only  small  ones,  in 
such  parts  of  rivers  and  brooks,  as  the  strength 
or   particular   sets   of   their   currents,    or   warm 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  257 

spriugs  may  keep  open.  I  should  have  hiiagiued 
that  they  would  resort  greatly  to  those  parts  of 
the  tickles  going  into  Sandwich  Bay,  whidi  are 
open  all  winter,  because  great  numbers  ol'  winter 
seals  (harps,  and  their  young,  called  l)edlamers) 
constantly  remain  there;  yet  we  never  saw  the 
track  of  one  in  the  depth  of  winter.  These  ani- 
mals are  prodigious  ti-avellers,  and  nnist  certainly 
be  able  to  go  a  long  time  without  food.  When 
they  can  get  nothing  else,  they  will  feed  on  the 
long  stalks  of  the  sea  weed  ^  from  which  kelp  is 
made;  so  will  seals  likewise,  for  I  have  seen  l)oth 
of  them  do  it.  Great  numl)ers  of  them,  I  believe, 
are  destroyed  every  spring,  by  being  carried  upon 
the  ice  too  far  from  land  to  be  able  to  regain  it, 
although  they  will  swim  to  a  very  great  distance. 
I  have  heard  of  theii-  ])eing  met  with,  on  loose 
pans  of  ice,  fifty  leagues  from  the  land,  by  ships 
which  have  been  coming  upon  the  coast.  Tliey 
])ring  forth  their  young  about  ^larch,  and  drop 
them  upon  the  ice,  where  they  lie  for  some  days 
before  they  are  able  to  follow  theii'  dams,  which 
leave  them  there  while  they  go  in  quest  of  ju'ey; 
and  when  they  are  first  able  to  travel,  frerjuently 
carry  them  on  their  backs.  They  most  comnionly 
have  but  one  at  a  time;  sometimes,  however,  they 
have  two,  and  T  have  beard  of  their  having  three. 
They  breed  but  once  in  two  years,  and  their  cubs 
follow  them  all  that  time;  but  how  long  they 
suckle  Iheiii,  or  how  long  Ihcy  go  witli  young,  1 
do  not   know.     ^AHien   llicii-  (•ii])s  are   very  small, 

'  He  fividcnlly  roforH  to  tlic  "  flovil'H-apron,"  Lnminnria. 


258  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

it  is  dangerous  to  meet  them,  as  tliey  have  then 
been  often  known  to  attack  a  man  without  the 
least  provocation ;  but  at  other  times,  they  always 
make  off:  yet,  should  you  fire  at  one  at  any  time 
of  the  year,  and  shoot  it  through  a  part  which  is 
not  immediately  mortal,  you  must  expect  to  be 
instantly  attacked  with  the  greatest  fury.  As 
they  are  amazingly  strong  and  excellent  boxers, 
your  danger  wdll  be  imminent,  unless  you  have 
a  double-barrelled  gun  loaded  with  shot  to  blind 
them,  or  a  dog,  which  will  keep  continually  seiz- 
ing them  behind  (tliis  all  dogs  will  do,  after  they 
have  run  at  two  or  three)  the  bear  will  then  sit 
down  on  his  buttocks  and  spin  round  like  a  top, 
endeavouring  to  get  hold  of  the  dog.  This  is  the 
time,  when  you  may  approach  and  kill  him  dead  at 
one  shot,  if  you  are  but  cool :  but  if  the  dog  is  not 
well  used  to  the  sport,  he  will  attack  him  forward; 
in  which  case  he  is  sure  to  be  either  killed,  lamed, 
or  cowed  immediately,  and  the  bear  will  then  at- 
tack you. 

Thursday,  Fehruary  11,  1779.  Heavy  gales 
with  snow,  drift,  and  severe  frost.  The  badness 
of  the  weather  drove  Gready  and  Martin  from  the 
island,  because  they  could  not  keep  their  fire  in. 
As  they  were  coming  along  the  ice,  they  observed 
three  tinkers  ^  fly  past  them,  and  presently,  one 
of  them  fell  as  suddenly  as  if  it  had  been  shot. 
On  picking  it  up,  they  found  the  eyes  of  it  were 
frozen  as  hard  as  beads. 

Both  myself  and  others  have  often  found  some 

^  Razor-billed  auks,  Aha  torda. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  259 

of  these  birds,  terns,  and  bulls  '  dead  upon  the 
ice,  or  land,  at  a  great  distance  from  water;  yet 
I  could  never  tell  how  they  came  there;  the  mys- 
tery is  now  unravelled.  During  the  whole  of  the 
winter  season,  small  holes,  like  ponds,  are  kept 
open  on  one  side  or  other  of  most  of  the  outer 
islands  (by  the  set  of  the  wind)  to  which  these 
birds  resort  for  food.  Upon  the  shifting  of  the 
wind,  the  ice  fills  up  those  holes,  and  the  birds  are 
then  forced  to  l)etake  themselves  to  flight  to  seek 
others:  and,  as  it  often  comes  on  to  snow  and 
drift  excessively  hard  at  those  times,  with  severe 
frost,  they  are  most  completely  lost.  Sometimes 
they  fly  into  the  country;  at  other  times,  along 
shore:  and  in  short  any  way,  as  chance  directs 
them,  until  their  eyes  are  frozen  in  their  heads; 
and,  being  quite  overcome  by  the  severity  of  the 
weather  they  drop  dead;^  as  was  the  case  with 
this  bird,  to-day. 

Mourlajf,  Frhrvnrjj  15,  1779.  At  three  this  af- 
teiTioon,  the  upper  part  of  the  kitchen  chimney 
(which,  for  want  of  bricks,  I  was  obliged  to  finish 
with  wattles  clayed  over)  took  fire;  which  quickly 
found  its  way  to  the  boarded  partition  between  it 
and  the  dining  room,  and  burnt  with  such  fury, 
that  the  whole  house,  the  provisions,  and  all  that 
were  in  i1  must  soon  have  been  consumed,  had 
we  nol  foi'tunaiely  ])een  all  at  home.  The  great 
pol  fhniK'f'd  t(.  be  oji  the  fire,  in  which  was  spruce, 

'  Dovokif  or  lift  If  :nik,  Mir  nllr. 

'  Sffirvntion  is  imf!f)iih»ffl!v  tFu-  r-liicf  f;utor  in  this  iiinrt!ility.  North- 
prn  ^)irfN  strind  ox<roino  mM  prnvidfii  tlicv  \y.\\c  plenty  nf  fond.  T  no 
freezing  of  the  cycH  is  probably  a  post  mortem  phenomenon. 


260  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

boiling  for  beer:  this  liquor,  together  with  snow, 
we  applied  so  successfully  within  doors,  and  also 
from  without,  through  a  hole  made  in  the  roof, 
that  we  soon  extinguished  the  flames ;  and  thereby 
saved  our  lives  from  the  most  terrible  of  all 
deaths;  the  want  of  food. 

Monday,  March  15,  1779.  Daubeny  went  to 
Table  Bay,  and  might  have  had  a  good  shot  at  a 
wolf,  if  his  gun  had  been  ready.  Collingham  went 
to  North  Harbour  and  killed  three  grouse.  I  went 
round  my  eastern  walk,  and  killed  four  grouse. 
Great  plenty  of  foxes  had  been  going  everywhere, 
but  the  traps  were  all  drifted  up,  and  they  kill 
such  plenty  of  grass  mice,  that  they  are  not  very 
eager  for  dead  baits.  This  evening  we  drank  the 
last  drop  of  rum. 

It  froze  sharply  all  day,  yet  the  sky  being  pretty 
clear,  the  weather  was  quite  warm;  and  I  saw 
some  water  on  a  rock,  made  by  the  melting  of  the 
snow,  for  the  first  time  this  year. 

Wednes.,  March  17,  1779.  I  had  reserved  a 
small  quantity  of  brandy  for  the  people  to  cele- 
brate St.  Patrick's  Day  with,  and  now  let  them 
have  it  for  that  purpose. 

Sunday,  March  28,  1779.  At  noon  Mr.  Daubeny 
returned,  and  one  of  Mr.  Coghlan's  people  with 
him.  From  this  man  I  learned,  that  their  crew, 
consisting  of  three  hands,  had  killed  but  eleven 
foxes  and  one  deer:  and  that  the  other  crew  of 
three  hands  at  Black-bear  Bay,  had  killed  but 
three  foxes.  Mr.  Daubeny  brought  with  him  a 
medal,  which  William  Phippard  picked  up  last 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  2G1 

year  aiiiung  the  Indian  baggage,  whieh  they  found 
on  the  island  in  Ivucktoke  Bay,  where  the}"  saw 
so  many  dead  Esquimaux.  As  1  well  remember 
this  medal  (for  it  ])elonged  to  a  brother  of  mine 
who  gave  it  to  one  of  the  Indians  whom  I  had 
in  England)  1  am  now  no  longer  in  doubt  respect- 
ing their  persons,  or  the  cause  of  their  death.  I 
am  certain,  tliat  they  nuist  be  the  same  I  was 
acquainted  with;  that  Oaubvick  must  have  re- 
tained the  infection  in  her  hair  which  she  kept 
in  a  trunk;  and  that  the  small-pox  broke  out 
amongst  them  in  the  winter,  and  swept  them  all 
off.  He  also  brought  eleven  beaver-skins,  which 
he  purchased  from  one  of  the  ])eo])le. 

Mondai/,  A]n'il  J,  1779.  Three  hands  were  dig- 
ging for  the  Cajjlin,  which  they  found  in  the  eve- 
ning. Daubeny  and  Collingham  went  to  Great 
Island  and  the  sealing-post,  and  killed  a  grouse. 
I  sat  watcliing  fnr  some  time  on  Slink  Point:  and 
had  the  pleasure  to  see  a  streak  of  water  in  the 
offing,  extending  some  leagues  along  shore  to  the 
northward. 

Fridau,  April  9,  1779.  At  six  o'clock  this  after- 
noon Ml".  CoHingham  i-eturned:  he  got  to  Tero's 
house  on  Wednesday  evening,  and  found  him  .nid 
his  companion,  fmy  Newfoundland  dog)  botli 
well.  He  went  \\i1h  Tero  round  liis  1i"n))S  yes- 
tci-day,  and  left  him  this  moi'iiing  at  f'oni-  o'clock; 
the  distance  is  t]iirty-fi\'e  miles,  lie  infoi-nied 
mc  th.'tt  Tcro  li;id  killed  twenty-two  mni'tens, 
ele\-en  foxes,  eijrht  wohcs.  I'onr  l)e;i\('i's  and  tliree 
wohcr-in^'s.     One  of"  the  wol\-es  had  gone  oil"  with 


262  CAPTAIN   CART  WRIGHT'S 

a  trap,  and  he  accidentally  met  with  him  ten  days 
after;  he  was  alive,  but  so  far  from  his  house, 
that  he  left  him.  Tero  told  Collingham,  that  soon 
after  the  last  boat  left  him,  several  Indians 
stopped  a  few  days  on  Separation  Point;  that 
they  staked  the  beaver-house  which  I  found  in 
the  summer,  hung  the  two  traps  which  he  had 
in  it  upon  a  tree,  and  had  stolen  the  chains  off 
them.  Martens  were  beginning  to  run  again. 
The  snow  is  now  grown  very  rotten. 

Wednes.,  April  14,  1779.  I  made  a  beaver-net 
today  of  seal-twine.  In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Dau- 
beny  visited  some  of  his  traps  near  home;  two  of 
which  were  struck  up. 

Wednes.,  April  21,  1779.  At  day-break  Mrs. 
Selby  was  taken  in  labour,  and  at  ten  o'clock  I 
delivered  her  of  a  daughter.  At  seven  Mr.  Cogh- 
lan's  men  set  off  for  Sandhill  Cove.  Daubeny 
and  Collingham  went  round  the  traps  of  the  lat- 
ter, on  Venison  Head,  and  brought  in  a  white-fox. 
Three  men  were  throwing  the  snow  out  of  the 
cook-room. 

Thursday,  April  22,  1779.  Two  men  were  at 
work  in  the  cook-room.  Mr.  Daubeny  went  with 
me  round  my  traps;  three  of  them  were  carried 
off  by  foxes,  none  of  which  we  could  find.  He 
shot  a  hare,  and  we  saw  another;  also  a  brace 
of  white-foxes  near  a  breeding  earth,  which  is 
under  the  cliff  on  the  north-east  side  of  Mount 
Martin,  on  which  there  is  a  falcon's*  nest.    The 

*  Cartwright  may  refer  to  duck  hawk,  Falco  peregrinus  anatvm,  or  to  a 
white  or  black  gyrfalcon,  Falco  islandus,  or  F.  ruslicolus  obsoletus. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  263 

uffiiig  breaks  up  but  slowly;  the  ice  lias  parted 
from  Cape  North,  by  the  outer  Sister,  to  the  inner 
Gannet,  and  nearly  in  a  north-west  line  from 
thence. 

A  clear,  hot  smi,  which  melted  the  snow  fast. 

Sunday,  May  9,  1779.  After  breakfast  I  took 
a  walk  to  the  end  of  Slink  Point,  in  expectation 
of  seeing  the  ice  broken  up  by  the  late  gales  of 
wind;  but  I  could  not  observe  that'  it  was  more 
so  now  than  before;  which  convinces  me,  that 
there  must  be  a  vast  body  of  drift-ice  still  upon 
the  coast,  extending  to  a  great  distance  from 
land;  otherwise  a  swell  must  have  rolled  in,  suf- 
ficient to  have  ripped  it  up  in  every  place  which 
is  not  land-locked.  I  killed  a  grouse  with  a  ball, 
out  of  my  doul)le-barrelled  gun;  observed  that 
Lidian  sallad  made  its  appearance;  and  that  the 
mountain  sallow  was  in  bud.  These  are  the  first 
instances  of  vegetation  T  have  taken  notice  of 
this  spring. 

Friday,  May  14,  1779.  ^Mr.  Daubeny  visited  his 
traps  this  morning  and  had  the  smallest  white- 
fox  I  ever  saw;  it  weighed  only  six  pounds  and 
three  quarters,  although  it  was  very  fat,  which  is 
a  pound  and  a  quarter  less  than  the  hares  here. 
T  got  an  egg  out  of  a  butcher-bird's'  nest,  which 
is  ill  the  top  of  ;i  s))ruf'e-tree  close  to  my  house. 
These  ])irds  ])uild  their  nests  exactly  in  the  same 
rnnnnor  as  honse-si>arrn\vs  '  do,  when  ihcv  build 

'  Northnm  Hhriko  or  biitrhor  bird,   Lanimt  bnrealvt. 
'  EurorK?an    houw  sparrow,    railed    in    America    "  English    sparrow, " 
PoMser  dome.Kticu»,  a  pe«t  that  hafl  fortunately  not  yet  reached  Labrador. 


264  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

in  a  tree;  and  their  eggs  are  as  like  as  possible 
to  the  eggs  of  those  birds. 

Wednes.,  May  19,  1779.  In  the  afternoon,  ob- 
serving a  great  number  of  ducks  in  the  west 
corner  of  Blackguard  Bay,  I  had  the  Roebuck 
launched  round  on  the  ice  to  that  place;  but  there 
being  then  no  wind,  they  were  so  shy  that  I  could 
kill  only  one.  There  were  several  hounds  and 
gulls,  with  some  pigeons  and  black-divers  ^  among 
them. 

Thursday,  May  20, 1779.  I  shot  the  hen  butcher- 
bird and  had  her  nest  taken,  which  had  six  eggs 
more  in  it;  the  cock  bird  I  shot  a  few  days  ago; 
and  as  I  am  now  in  possession  of  them  both,  I 
mean  to  stuff  the  skins. 

It  snowed  till  nine  this  morning,  and  was  clear 
afterwards. 

Wednes.,  May  26,  1779.  [Capt.  Cartwright  be- 
came convinced  that  Mrs.  Selby  had  been  un- 
faithful.] The  fact  being  clearly  proven  by  two 
witnesses,  and  by  very  strong  corroborating  cir- 
cumstances related  by  seven  others,  together 
with  her  own  confession,  I  declared  as  formal  a 
divorce  between  us  as  ever  was  pronounced  in 
Doctors  Commons.  Upon  reading  the  deposi- 
tions to  Daubeny,  and  asking  him  what  he  had 
to  say  in  his  defence,  he  positively  denied  the 
whole;  accused  her  of  being  in  a  combination 
with  the  other  people  against  him,  offered  to  take 
his  most  solemn  oath  to  the  truth  of  his  assertions, 

*  Possibly  American  Scoter,  Oiderrda  americana,  as  the  other  scoters 
are  called  divers. 


LABRxVDOR   JOURN^VL  265 

and  repeatedly  pressed  me  to  adiniiiister  an  oath 
to  him;  but  I  did  not  ehiise  that  he  should  add 
perjury  to  the  crimes  he  liad  ah'eady  committed. 
I  disowned  it  [the  child],  and  resolved  never  to 
make  any  provision  for  it,  unless  I  should  here- 
after be  compelled  so  to  do  by  a  judicial  sen- 
tence. 

Friday,  May  28,  1779.  I  walked  to  the  end  of 
Slink  Point,  where  I  killed  one  goose,  wounded 
another,  and  struck  up  all  the  traps;  which  con- 
cludes the  fox-catching  for  this  season.  The 
whole  of  what  we  got  at  this  place  is  as  follows, 
viz.  sixteen  silver-foxes,  twenty-eight  crosses, 
nineteen  yellows,  twenty-six  whites,  and  one  blue- 
fox,  total  ninety-six.  Eight  at  least  have  been 
eaten  out  of  the  traps,  or  have  been  lost  with 
them;  and  li;id  the  traps  not  been  so  very  old 
and  bad  we  should  nearly  have  dou])led  the  above 
number.  AMiat  I  have  now,  are  only  the  w^orst 
of  my  old  stock;  for  the  privateer  not  only  car- 
ried away  six  dozen  of  new  ones,  wiiich  had  never 
been  opened,  but  also,  what  good  ones  they  found 
in  use. 

Sinifhiji,  May  30,  1779.  "Mrs.  Selby's  child  being 
very  ill  to-day,  I  baptized  it  b}^  the  name  of 
Maria. 

Dai'k  till  Iwo  o'clock,  and  Ihe  I'cst  of  the  day 
])roved  as  bad  weather  as  W  usually  is  iu  the 
month  of  Jaiiuar'v  in  Kii^Iaiid. 

Mauday,  May  .77,  1779.  "NTof  withstanding  Dau- 
beny  offered  to  tak<'  liis  oath  that  he  was  ])er- 
fectlv  iiiTKtcent   of  all  wliicli  lie  bad  be<'n  accused 


266  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

of,  yet,  this  day,  he  confessed  to  me,  that  he  was 
guilty  of  the  crime  laid  to  his  charge. 

Tuesday,  June  1,  1779.  At  nine  o'clock  this 
morning  I  sent  Daubeny  in  a  skiff  with  four  hands 
to  White-bear  River,  a  rinding.  I  had  a  punt 
trimmed,  and  at  six  in  the  evening,  sent  four 
other  men  after  him.  I  took  an  account  of  the 
provisions  which  are  left,  and  found  that,  owing 
to  the  success  of  our  traps,  slips,  and  guns,  to- 
gether with  good  (Economy,  I  have  now  enough 
left  to  last  until  the  end  of  September.  I  was 
under  the  greatest  apprehension  all  winter,  of 
falling  short  of  provisions  before  any  vessel  could 
arrive  with  a  supply.  From  the  delays  of  wait- 
ing for,  and  sailing  with  convoy,  I  did  not  sup- 
pose the  arrival  could  be  earlier  than  the  middle 
of  July;  and,  if  the  vessel  should  chance  to  be 
taken,  I  should  be  obliged  to  send  a  boat  to  St. 
John's,  in  Newfoundland.  I  therefore  would  not 
suffer  a  morsel  of  salted  meat  to  be  expended  at 
such  times  as  there  was  anything  fresh  in  the 
house:  and  it  was  no  small  additional  uneasiness 
to  me,  that  my  people  were,  three  or  four  times, 
on  the  point  of  mutiny,  because  I  would  not  give 
them  salted  pork,  which  they  threatened  to  take 
by  force:  but  I  prevented  their  doing  so,  by  as- 
suring them,  that  I  would  shoot  the  first,  and 
every  man,  who  should  make  an  attempt  of  the 
kind. 

Unfortunately,  the  foxes  went  out  of  season 
much  sooner  than  usual,  and  by  the  month  of 
March,  they  smelled  so  rank,  that  I  could  not 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  267 

insist  uii  tlu'ir  eating  tliciii.  i  tlu'ii  hit  upon  an 
expedient  which  was  of  singuhir  help  to  me;  for 
on  eateliing  tlie  hist  white-fox,  I  skinned  him 
with  great  care  and  ate  liiiii  myself,  telling  my 
people,  that  a  whiie-inx  was  superior  to  a  hare. 
This  set  them  a  longing;  and  then,  by  way  of  an 
indulgence,  I  gave  them  all  we  caught  aftenvards; 
l)ut  the  fact  was,  they  were  no  better  than  those 
of  other  colours;  they  however  satisfied  the  cra- 
vings of  the  appetite,  and  ke]it  us  from  famishing. 
Before  they  went  off  this  morning,  I  had  the  sat- 
isfaction to  receive  their  voluntary  thanks  for  not 
giving  way  to  their  unreasonable  demands;  they 
being  now  convinced,  that  w^e  must  all  inevitably 
have  perished  if  I  had. 

T  lie  Slid  II,  JiDie  8, 1779.  This  was  a  terrible,  bad 
(lay.  The  ground  is  greatly  flooded,  and  I  fear 
llie  rivers  will  overflow.  If  any  ships  are  on  this 
coast  now,  God  help  them!  unless  they  are  pirat- 
ical privateers,  coming  to  plunder  innocent  peo- 
l>le  again;  for  such,  I  recommend  to  their  friend 
theD     1. 

Fridajj,  June  11,  1779.  I  got  a  shot  at  about 
forty  eider-dur-ks,  pretty  well  doubled  up,  and 
killed  three;  also  cripjjled  five  or  six  more,  but 
got  only  one.  Upon  examining  the  dowm  of  these 
<lii<-ks,  whicli  is  so  valual)le,  warm,  elastic,  and 
li'jlit,  I  fonnd  that  it  gr(>ws  out  of  Ihe  body  in 
llic  maimer  of  a  featliei";  whose  wliole  length, 
both  of  f|nill  aiul  shafl.  is  e\f  i-ciiicl)  fine,  and  does 
not  exceed  one  leiilli  of  an  iinli  in  lengih.  On  this 
grows  a  bnnch  of  rcatlici-}'  substances,  resembling 


268  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

the  harle  ^  on  the  sides  of  a  peacock's  tail-feather, 
which  are  from  eight  tenths  of  an  inch  to  an  inch 
and  two  tenths  in  length.  I  counted  the  number 
of  harles  on  two  of  these  stems,  and  found  one  to 
have  ninety-six,  the  other  fifty-two;  but  not  hav- 
ing a  microscope,  I  could  not  tell  if  either  of  them 
was  entire  or  not. 

Weather  as  yesterday,  till  seven  in  the  eve- 
ning, the  sky  then  cleared,  and  we  were  blessed 
with  the  smiles  of  the  enlivening  sun  once  more. 

Friday,  June  18,  1779,  This  afternoon  William 
Phippard  and  his  crew  arrived  from  Ivucktoke 
Bay,^  on  their  way  to  Sandhill  Cove.  He  in- 
formed me,  that  they  had  killed  but  twenty-six 
beavers,  twenty-two  martens,  six  white-foxes, 
and  three  wolverings:  that  he  had  seen  but  two 
families  of  Mountaineer  Indians,  from  whom  he 
had  gotten  twelve  martens  and  an  otter.  I  got 
eight  beaver-skins  and  three  wolverings  from  him, 
in  balance  of  a  debt,  which  his  late  partner  John 
Wrixon  had  contracted.  He  had  been  three  weeks 
from  his  winter-house.  He  also  told  me,  that 
they  met  with  white-geese,^  and  another  sort  of 
spruce-game,  much  larger  than  the  common  ones, 
the  cock  having  a  long  tail;  ^  that  they  were  a 
scarce  bird,  and  so  very  tame,  they  would  almost 

1  Harl,  the  little  plumelets  growing  on  each  side  of  the  tail  feathers 
of  the  peacock.     Used  in  making  flies. 

2  Eskimo  Bay,  The  mouth  of  Hamilton  Inlet. 

^  Greater  snow  goose  or  "  wavy,"  Chen  hyperhorea  nivalis. 

*  Sharp-tailed  grouse,  Pedioecetes  phasianelhis.  It  is  probable  that  this 
bird  occasionally  strays  to  the  shores  of  Hamilton  Inlet,  but  it  occurs 
regularly  on  the  Hudson  Bay  coast. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  269 

suffer  themselves  to  be  taken  oft'  the  trees  by 
hand.  These,  I  i3resmne,  are  the  swans/  and 
l^heasants,  said  b}'  Mr.  Ellis  to  be  found  in  Hud- 
son's Bay.  He  saw  the  ruins  of  three  French 
settlements,  and  found  several  beaver-houses;  but 
the  place  was  so  nuich  frequented  by  India^is,  that 
the  crews  of  beavers  were  all  broken  ones.  One 
of  the  Indians  drew  him  a  chart  of  that  bay,  upon 
birch  rind;  it  is  very  large,  and  contains  several 
rivers,  islands  and  smaller  bays. 

Tucsdaij,  June  29,  1779.  I  shot  a  loon,  took  a 
duck's  nest,  by  the  pond  near  the  flagstaff  and 
found  a  robin's  nest.  These  birds  are  somewhat 
biuo('r  than  a  thrush,  are  like  that  bird  in  shape, 
])ut  of  a  more  beautiful  plumage.  They  build  the 
same  sort  of  nest,  but  their  note  is  like  the  black- 
])ird's;2  their  eggs  also,  of  which  they  seldom  lay 
more  than  three,  are  very  like  those  of  the  black- 
lurd's. 

Wcdncs.,  June  30,  1779.  I  weighed  some  eggs 
to-day,  and  found  those  of  the  saddleback  gull 
to  lie  four  ouiic(^s  fifteen  penn\^veights;  eider- 
ducks,  from  three  ounces  six  pennyweights  to 
foul'  ounces;  and  ]iigcoiis  two  ounces  five  penny- 
weights: I  also  weighed  some  eider  down,  and 
found,  that  thirty-seven  of  the  little  tufts  weighed 
one  grain. 

'  llio  whiflUiriK  swan,  Olor  columhvanua,  broods  on  tho  ifllands  on  tho 
oa«tom  Hidf  of   Hudson   Ray. 

'Tho  English  l)l!i(kMnl  Is  a  fhrusli,  Tiirdur.  lurrnln,  and  is  rclaf«'(J 
to  tho  American  robin.  Both  tJu-  EnKl'sh  thrush  and  tho  Amorioan  robin 
uso  mud  in  tho  oonntruotion  f»f  (hoir  nosts.  In  more  favourable  roRions 
farther  pouth  the  robin  often  lays  four  or  five  eggs. 


270  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

Friday,  July  9,  1779.  At  nine  o'clock  at  night 
I  was  alarmed  by  a  rapping  at  my  door;  but  was 
soon  relieved  from  my  fears,  by  the  appearance  of 
captain  Kinloch  and  nine  servants,  which  were 
some  of  my  old  hands.  He  informed  me,  that  my 
old  ship,  the  Comitess  of  Effingham,  was  safe  at 
an  anchor  in  North  Harbour,  with  all  the  salt  and 
most  of  the  other  goods,  which  the  Minerva's  peo- 
ple had  carried  away  in  her.  She  had  been  re- 
taken on  her  passage  to  Boston  by  five  of  the 
crew  which  had  been  put  on  board  at  this  place 
to  conduct  her  thither;  three  of  whom  had  entered 
from  me,  and  two  from  Noble  and  Pinson.  They 
carried  her  into  Dartmouth,  where  she  was  de- 
livered up  to  my  agent.  She  sailed  from  thence 
to  Waterf ord,  in  the  beginning  of  June ;  and  from 
thence  came  hither.  Kinloch  had  met  with  a  deal 
of  ice  near  the  land,  and  had  got  through  it  with 
much  difficulty,  and  the  loss  of  the  ship's  head. 
I  gave  them  plenty  of  boiled  bear  for  supper,  but 
some  of  the  new  hands  were  so  nice,  that  they 
would  not  eat  it. 

Monday,  July  12,  1775.  At  five  in  the  after- 
noon, James  Gready,  and  his  two  hands  returned 
from  Charles  Harbour  in  a  sealing-skiff  of  mine. 
He  informed  me,  that  a  small  American  privateer 
of  four  guns  had  gone  into  Twillingate  this  spring, 
and  there  taken  a  vessel,  laden  with  old  fish,  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Slade  of  Poole,  and  had  given  all 
the  goods  which  were  in  his  stores,  to  the  poor 
inhabitants  of  the  place;  that  from  thence  she 
had  come  to  Battle  Harbour  on  this  coast,  and  had 


L^VBK.VJJOK    JOURNAL  271 

taken  a  sloop  of  Mr.  JSlade's,  with  about  twenty- 
two  tuns  of  seals'  oil  on  board,  and  destroyed  his 
goods  there;  that  a  good  many  seals  had  been 
killed  on  this  side  of  Chateau;  but  that  most  of 
the  posts  within  the  streights  had  lost  the  great- 
est part  of  their  nets,  and  killed  very  few  seals. 
That  at  my  post  in  Charles  Harbour,  any  nmnber 
might  have  been  killed;  they  were  in  such  plenty. 
That  every  body  on  this  side  of  Trinity  w^ere  in 
the  utmost  distress  for  provisions,  from  the  dep- 
radations  of  the  privateers,  as  no  vessels  had  ar- 
rived from  England.  He  informed  me  likewise, 
that  twelve  men  had  l)een  lost  the  last  wdnter 
upon  this  coast,  by  the  severity  and  badness  of 
the  weather:  that  there  were  plenty  of  codfish 
to  the  southward,  but  no  salt;  as  no  other  vessel 
])ut  Slade's  sloop  had  yet  arrived.  He  also  told 
me,  that  John  Baskem  had  taken  possession  of 
my  salmon-post  at  Port  ]\rarnham,  and  that  all 
my  houses  in,  and  near  Charles  Harbour  had  been 
broken  open  and  jilunderod  hy  the  English  crews 
in  that  noighbourhood :  tli.-it  Coghlan's  crew  at 
Sandhill  Cove  had  killed  above  a  hundred  tierces 
of  salmon,  and  had  still  strong  fishing. 

Saftirdnif,  JuJj/  17,  1779.  Earl\-  this  morning, 
llic  p('(.])lc  liiiislicd  I'igging  the  Beaver,  and  at 
seven  (>'<-I(»ck.  1  sailed  in  licr  U)V  Pni'ndisc 

SuHflaij,  Jfil/f  IS,  1779.  At  three  in  the  after- 
noon the  wind  <-oniing  fair,  we  weighed  and  ran 
n|»  as  high  as  Ihe  south  })oint  of  DiMuiken  Cove, 
wlici-c  we  c-nnc  io  an  andior  for  want  of  wind, 
and  f  wcnl  1o  I'ai'adisc  in  the  skilT.     I  I'ound  here, 


272  CAPTAIN    CAETWRIGHT'S 

about  three  hundred  and  fifty  tierces  of  fish  on 
shore;  all  the  casks  and  all  the  houses  were  full, 
by  reason  of  so  much  old  fish;  all  the  salt  was 
expended,  and  most  of  the  nets  were  taken  up. 
Fish  were  still  in  prodigious  plenty;  a  new 
salmon-house  of  ninety  feet  by  twenty  was  built, 
and  all  the  rinds  were  brought  to  this  place.  Only 
ten  nets  were  put  out  at  first,  and  in  a  few  days 
the  fish  were  in  such  abundance  that  the  people 
were  obliged  to  take  four  of  them  up  again;  and 
when  they  had  taken  up  some  of  those  yester- 
day, having  neither  salt  or  casks  to  cure  more 
fish,  they  were  killing  thirty-five  tierces,  or  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  fish  a  day,  and  might  have 
killed  more,  with  more  nets.  Six  hundred 
and  fifty-five  fish  were  killed  to-day.  Clear  fine 
weather. 

[Cartwright  gives  ''  A  Diary  of  the  Salmon- 
Fishery  "  by  which  it  may  be  seen  that  12,396 
salmon  were  caught  between  June  23  and  July  20 
inclusive.  Only  36  were  taken  in  June,  but 
the  numbers  rapidly  increased  and  on  July  6th, 
the  largest  number,  namely,  1,305  salmon  were 
caught.] 

The  fish  were  about  fifteen  pounds  weight  each, 
upon  an  average,  and  filled  three  hundred  and 
ninety  tierces  of  forty-two  gallons.  Had  I  not 
been  visited  by  the  privateer  last  year,  I  should 
have  kept  my  nets  out  during  the  whole  of  the 
season;  and,  from  the  length  of  time  that  I  after- 
wards found  the  salmon  continued  to  run  up  the 
river,  am  confident  I  should  have  killed  upjwards 


LABRxVDOK    JOURNAL  273 

uf  thirty  two  thousand  tish;  which  would  liave 
produced  a  thousand  tierces. 

W'uhus.,  Jnlij  21,  1771L  1  took  Mr.  Collingham 
witli  nie  hi  the  Beaver,  and  at  seven  o'clock  we 
came  to  sail.  Being  near  Uuek  Island,  I  landed 
o])posite  to  it,  and  walked  along  shore  to  the 
mouth  of  the  small  ])rook,  which  empties  itself 
into  the  south  side  of  Eastern  Arm  in  Sandwich 
Bay,  and  the  shallop  came  to  an  anchor  off  it. 
Good  paths  of  Ijears  and  foxes  run  along  this 
shore,  and  it  is  much  used  by  geese  at  certain 
times.  I  picked  up  above  six  score  of  excellent 
quills,  which  had  dropped  from  their  wings  in 
the  late  moulting  season;  at  which  time  they  are 
in  their  ])i-ime;  these  quills  are  sold  in  London  for 
two  shillings  a  score. 

Friday,  July  23,  1779.  We  got  under  weigh  at 
fi)Ui"  o'clock  this  morning,  and  tow^ed  downwards; 
we  soon  after  saw  a  bitch- w^olf,  with  four  small 
cu])s  at  her  heels,  rinming  along  the  shore  between 
Muddy  Bay  and  the  narrows.  I  landed  a  head 
of  tlicni  witli  my  (l()u])le-])ai'rel  and  rifle,  and 
sliMii](l  have  given  a  ])retty  good  account  of 
tlicDi,  had  they  not  turned  into  the  woods.  Tn 
J^aar  Toxe  we  saw  a  black-bear  with  one  small 
cul);  off  Venison  Head  we  caught  seven  codfish; 
and  at  ten  al  night,  arrived  at  the  stage. 

Sunday,  J uly  2o,  1779.  This  morning  the  shi])'s 
two  boats  came  u])  here,  when  T  loade<l  them  with 
househfthl  fiiriiit  iii-c,  c^-c.  and  at  noon,  I'emoved 
will)  my  faiiiily  to  (li'eat  Island  for  the  sniniiic!'. 
Tliis    iiioj'iniiL:'   a    liind    and    <"all'   swam    onci"   from 


274  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

Venison  Head,  and  landed  close  to  my  house  on 
Great  Island;  but,  upon  seeing  the  people,  they 
immediately  took  the  water  again  and  made  off. 
Four  hands  pursued  them  in  a  skiff,  killed  the 
hind,  and  caught  the  calf  alive;  they  bound  its 
legs,  and  kept  it  so  till  my  arrival,  when  I  had  a 
crib  made  for  it  at  the  end  of  my  house.  It  ap- 
peared not  to  be  very  tunorous  nor  wild,  but 
seemed  much  distressed  for  want  of  its  dam  and 
her  milk,  for  it  ate  white  moss,  and  other  things 
out  of  my  hand,  and  sucked  at  the  ends  of  my 
handkerchief  most  eagerly;  suffering  me  to 
stroke  it  all  the  time.  It  was  very  quiet  when- 
ever I  was  with  it,  but  grunted  incessantly,  and 
tried  to  get  out  w^hen  it  w^as  left  alone. 

Sunday,  August  1,  1779.  In  the  afternoon  John 
Mac  Carth}^  havmg  behaved  very  ill,  and,  as  I  was 
going  to  give  him  a  stroke  w^ith  a  stick,  he  raised 
a  hatchet  at  me,  and  took  an  oath  upon  a  book 
(which  I  believe  was  a  prayer-book)  that  he 
would  cleave  me  or  any  other  man  down,  w^ho 
shoidd  offer  to  go  near  him.  He  made  several 
efforts  to  chop  at  me,  and  some  of  my  servants, 
w^ho  attemjoted  to  take  hun,  and  then  ran  off  to  the 
other  end  of  the  island.  At  night  he  went  into  the 
cook-room,  where  one  of  the  people  took  the 
hatchet  from  him,  but  he  absconded  again. 

Friday,  August  6,  1779.  [Mac  Carthy  delivered 
himself  up  on  August  5th.] 

In  the  afternoon  I  gave  Mac  Carthy  twenty- 
seven  lashes  with  a  small  dog-whip  on  his  bare 
back,  and  intended  to  have  made  up  the  number 


LABHADOK    JOURNAL  275 

tu  thirty-iniie;  but  a>  he  then  tainted,  i  stopped 
and  released  him;  when  he  thanked  me  on  his 
knees  for  my  lenity,  and  acknowledged  that  he 
not  only  deserved  the  pnnishment,  but  expected 
that  I  should  have  flogged  hhn  nearly  to  death, 
And  as  I  had  the  pleasure  to  observe,  that  all  my 
people  expressed  themselves  well  pleased  with 
what  I  had  done,  I  therefore  hope  to  have  no 
more  occasion  to  l)e  reduced  to  the  painful  neces- 
sity of  inflicting  ccu'poral  pimishment  as  an  ex- 
ample to  the  rest. 

A  sharp  frost  this  morning,  a  cloudy  day,  and 
moist  evening. 

Saturdaij,  August  14,  1779.  I  took  a  walk 
roimd  the  island  with  the  dogs,  but  saw  nothing. 
T  was  also  attended  by  my  young  deer,  which  is 
n«»w  perfectly  tame,  and  I  shall  now  make  some 
remarks  on  those  animals.  Notwithstanding  rein- 
deer are  naturally  very  wild  and  timorous,  yet  no 
creature  is  so  soon,  or  so  effectually  tamed  if  taken 
young;  but  what  they  may  be  when  caught  after- 
wards I  cannot  tell.  They  not  only  grow  very 
})r»ld,  but  also  shew  great  affection  for  such  men 
and  dogs  as  they  take  a  liking  to,  and  have  a  great 
spite  against  those  who  affront  them.  This  deer 
of  mine  has  had  its  full  liberty  ever  since  the 
fourth  day  at'tei'  it  was  caught  (except  a  few 
nights  couflneiiK'Ut  in  tlie  ci'il>,  lest  the  dogs 
should  kill  it  when  we  were  all  asleep)  l)ut  since 
that,  it  has  constantly  lain  out.  Tt  is  not  in  the 
least  alarmed  at  any  noise,  not  e\<'n  at  the  i-eport 
of  a  giui  fired  close  to  it;   but  it  is  much  terrified, 


276  CAPTAIN    CARTWEIGHT'S 

if  any  dog  runs  after,  or  even  near  it,  and  any 
running  of  the  people  instantly  affrights  it;  but 
the  moment  all  is  quiet,  it  is  so  too.  It  will  often 
go  up  to  a  dog  and  smell  to  him:  it  is  well  ac- 
quainted with  all  mine,  and  will  lie  down  by  the 
fire  amongst  them.  I  believe  they  scarce  ever 
sleep,  for  as  much  as  I  have  watched  this,  I  never 
could  observe,  that  it  was  ever  asleep,  or  kept  its 
eyes  closed  for  more  than  two  seconds  at  a  time; 
and  if  I  moved  ever  so  little,  it  would  start  up. 
When  I  have  lain  down  on  the  bed,  at  a  time  when 
it  was  lying  on  the  floor,  it  would  start  up  every 
five  or  six  minutes,  and  come  to  see  that  I  was  not 
gone;  and  having  licked  my  face,  or  sucked  my 
neck  handkerchief  a  little,  it  would  quietly  lie 
down  again.  When  at  any  time  it  lost  me,  it 
would  run  about  grunting  somewhat  like  a  hog, 
and  never  rest  until  it  had  found  me,  when  it 
would  run  up  to  me  in  full  speed.  Sometimes  I 
have  diverted  myself,  with  stooping  and  running, 
both  after  and  from  it,  which  pleased  it  much; 
and  it  would  do  the  same,  and  frisk  about  in  the 
same  manner,  as  I  have  seen  the  wild  calves  one 
among  another:  and  I  have  likewise  observed, 
that  whenever  it  is  frightened,  it  erects  its  single  ^ 
which  at  all  other  times  hangs  down.  It  is  a  mis- 
taken notion  that  they  will  not  eat  grass,  or 
scarcely  anything  but  white  moss;  for  they  will 
eat  every  kind  of  vegetable  which  this  country 
naturally  produces;  alexander,  and  some  few 
other  things  excepted:   nor  have  I  yet  been  a})le 

1  Tail. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL 


tu  di^coN'tT  that  ail}-  beast  in  this  cuuiitiy  wuuld 
eat  alexaiider,  except  bkiek-bears,  which  are  A^eiy 
foud  ul'  It.  Rein-deer  du  not  seem  to  relisii  grass 
much,  yet  1  have  seen  mine  eat  a  little,  and  it  gen- 
erally preferred  the  coarsest  kinds.  1  have  often 
observed,  that  in  the  latter  end  of  April  and  in 
the  month  of  May,  the  wild  ones  eat  little  else  be- 
sides dry  grass  and  wild  rye,  which  then  appear 
through  the  snow.  They  affect  great  variety  in 
their  food,  while  things  are  in  a  growing  state; 
preferring  the  youngest  and  most  juicy.  This 
causes  them  to  vary  their  food  every  month;  and 
also  several  times  on  the  same  day,  accordingly 
as  it  is  moist  or  dry;  rejecting  now  what  an  hour 
ago  they  ])referi'ed  to  every  thing  else.  The 
leaves  of  the  dogberry^  bush  when  young,  and  a 
tender  plant  which  grows  by  hill  sides  on  moist 
ground,  resembling  cross  lettuce,  as  also  a  succu- 
lent, aquatic  plant  which  grows  in  ponds,  all  these 
they  devour  most  greedily.  Tliere  is  a  small  pond 
near  this  house  which  is  full  of  the  latter,  and  this 
deer  of  mine  has  eaten  it  close  down  to  the  water. 
I  think  I  have  seen  the  same  kind  of  plaiit  in  the 
Highlands  of  Scotland,  and  is  what  they  use  there 
in  their  beer,  instead  of  hops.  They  also  delight 
to  eat  youni^  leaves  of  most  sorts  of  trees  and 
shrubs  wliicli  li;i\('  not  n  resinous  juice;  parti^-n- 
1,-ii'Iy  the  willow:    but  I  liaxc  known  them  eat  the 

'  The  namo  <loKb«'rry  i.s  ap|)lie(i  to  a  Hpecies  of  goos('!)orry,  Rihcs  Cy- 
noahali,  to  the  black  chokeberry,  I^yrun  indnrwcnr jxi ,  :in'I  to  the  moun- 
tain a«h,  PyruH  amerirfnia.  The  Ia«t  nanie<l  ,«i)eeies  CartwriRht  recognized 
by  xtH  proper  name,  the  first  he  woulfl  liave  caller!  a  Kooseherry.  Whether 
the  black  chokeberry  occurs  in  Labrador  or  not,  I  do  not  know. 


278  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

outer  shoots  of  the  black  spruce  in  the  winter 
time,  though  but  sparingly.  I  most  wonder  that 
they  are  not  fond  of  vetches/  which  grow  in  great 
abundance  here.  I  have  often  tracked  the  wild 
ones  through  large  beds  of  them,  without  observ- 
ing that  they  cropped  any;  yet  I  have  seen  mine 
eat  a  few  sometimes.  This  will  eat  a  little  of  the 
crumb  of  soft  bread,  but  will  scarcely  touch  the 
crust,  or  biscuit;  but  that  may  be  owing  to  the 
tenderness  of  its  teeth.  Pudding  and  boiled 
potatoes  it  is  very  fond  of,  but  will  not  eat  the 
latter  raw;  it  will  also  eat  boiled  salt  meat.  They 
are  very  sure  footed;  for  they  will  run  along 
shore,  over  sharp  rough  rocks,  or  smooth,  round, 
loose  stones,  without  ever  stumbling  or  slipping; 
but  on  smooth  ice  they  can  with  difficulty  stand. 
They  are  beautifully  made,  are  as  straight  limbed 
and  have  nearly  the  same  shape  as  the  horse,  only 
not  so  good  a  neck.  They  walk,  trot,  and  gallop 
in  the  same  manner,  and  no  old  hunter  will  take 
either  a  flying,  or  standing  leap  with  more  grace 
or  judgment  than  my  young  deer  will  now.  They 
have  great  strength  and  are  remarkably  active; 
which  renders  them  very  useful  in  a  sled.  They 
go  very  wide  behind,  are  fearless  of  their  road, 
and  will  swim  with  most  extraordinary  swiftness, 
and  to  a  prodigious  distance:  I  am  certain  they 
will  swim  more  than  five  miles  in  an  hour,  and  I 
verily  believe,  six.  The  stags  have  a  deal  more 
courage  than  the  hinds,  and  those  hinds  which 

^  Milk  vetch,  Astragalus  alpinus,  and  beach  pea,  Lathyrus  maritimus, 
are  both  common  on  this  coast. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  279 

hiwv  calves,  have  less  than  the  dry  ones.  When 
they  hear  a  noise,  or  if  they  see  a  man  standing 
perfectly  still,  their  euriosity  will  often  tempt 
them  to  make  out  the  object;  a  curiosity  which  I 
have  known  prove  fatal  to  them:  for  they  will 
frequently  gallop,  or  trot  down  within  sixty  or  a 
hundred  yards,  and  there  stand  and  gaze  for  the 
space  of  a  minute  or  two.  When  the}^  are  satisfied, 
they  run  off,  and  generally  sink  the  win4  to  be  in- 
foiTned  of  a  pursuit.  In  the  winter  they  most  com- 
monly go  several  miles  before  they  rest.  If  pur- 
sued by  a  dog  they  husband  their  speed  and  wind 
surprisingly;  for  they  will  suffer  their  pursuer  to 
come  by  degrees  within  a  few  yards  of  them,  but 
no  nearer  if  they  can  prevent  it;  they  will  then 
continue  to  run  at  his  rate  till  he  is  tired;  and  as 
soon  as  he  stops,  they  will  do  so  too,  and  turn 
about  and  look  at  him;  after  which  they  will  go 
leisurely  on,  ])ut  often  stop  to  look  back.  If  they 
are  upon  ice,  where  there  is  much  snow,  they  will 
not  quit  it  for  the  barren  hills.  When  pursued  in 
the  summer  time,  they  always  make  for  the  near- 
est water,  in  wliidi  no  land  animal  has  the  least 
ehance  with  llidii.  If  llicir  ("iieiiiy  comes  up  with 
them,  they  defend  themselves  with  theii*  horns 
and  hind  feet;  and  are  so  sti-on^-  and  a('tiv(\  that 
a  fair  stroke  willi  cilher,  [generally  ]U'oves  fatal 
to  wr»lf  r>r  doti',  if  lhe  dcci"  be  an  old  one.  I  liax'C 
often  eat  of  \;iri(»ns  kinds  of  Ncnison,  and  in  dif- 
ferent conntries;  bu<  I  iliiiik  none  equal  to  that 
of  the  !'ein-deer  when  in  in'o|»er  season.  Fi'om  the 
o})servations  which  mine  has  given  me  opportuni- 


280  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

ties  to  make,  I  am  fully  of  opinion,  that  there  are 
many  parts  of  England  where  they  would  live 
and  thrive  well,  but  I  do  not  think  they  would 
exist  in  such  parks  as  produce  nothing  but  fine 
grass. 

Sunday,  August  15,  1779.  Most  of  the  people 
were  shamefully  intoxicated  to-day.  I  take  as 
much  care  as  possible  to  prevent  these  things,  but 
they  willjiappen  sometimes. 

Friday,  August  20,  1779.  At  one  this  morning, 
I  was  greatly  alarmed  by  one  of  my  people  knock- 
ing at  my  door,  and  telling  me,  that  I  was  taken 
again;  for  that  a  stout  ship  was  at  an  anchor  in 
Blackguard  Bay,  and  her  boat  was  gone  to  take 
possession  of  my  ship.  On  opening  the  door,  I 
saw  her  riding  abreast  of  my  house.  I  immedi- 
ately ran  out,  without  stocking  or  shoe,  to  hide 
some  guns;  sending  the  man  to  do  the  same  by 
my  plate.  On  returning  to  the  house  for  more, 
I  found  an  officer  in  possession  of  it;  but  he  soon 
relieved  me  from  my  fears  by  informing  me,  that 
the  ship  was  his  majesty's  sloop  of  war.  Marten, 
commanded  by  Thomas  Durell,  Esq.  At  the  same 
time  he  delivered  me  a  letter  from  his  captain, 
and  another  from  John  Becher  of  London  Esq. 
He  then  returned  on  board,  and  I  to  bed  again; 
but  the  alarm  had  put  my  spirits  into  such  an 
agitation,  that  I  could  not  close  my  eyes.  At  six 
o'clock  I  went  on  board  the  Marten  to  pay  my 
respects  to  captain  Durell;  soon  after,  she  got 
under  weigh,  and  captain  Kinloch  piloted  her  into 
the  harbour;   where  she  moored.    I  shipped  two 


L.U3K.U)0K    JOURNAL  281 

liugsheads  of  fui's  on  board  the  Marten,  to  be 
i-arried  to  8t.  John's  tor  tear  of  accidents  here, 
and  spent  the  day  on  board  with  her  captain.  I 
sent  a  man  ont  a  deer  shooting,  upon  the  Cape 
hmd,  but  he  saw  none. 

Saturday,  August  21,  1779.  Captain  Durell  was 
so  obliging  as  to  give  me  the  assistance  of  some  of 
his  people,  who  put  a  new  mainmast  and  boom 
into  the  Beaver,  and  did  some  work  on  the  Count- 
ess of  Effingham;  also  the  captain  and  his  purser 
dined,  and  spent  most  of  the  day  with  me.  The 
boats  came  in  at  night  without  a  fish;  and  it  was 
a  double  mortification  to  me,  to  reflect  that  much 
about  this  time  last  year,  when  I  was  visited  by 
that  accursed  privateer,  I  had  venison,  curlews, 
and  other  good  things  in  the  greatest  plenty;  but, 
that  now,  when  friends  were  come,  I  had  not  one 
morsel  of  anything  but  salted  provisions  to  set 
before  them:  the  weather  likewise  was  too  bad 
to  get  anything. 

Suudai/,  Auf/ust  29,  1779.  We  saw  an  old,  bitch 
])lack-bear  with  a  very  small  cub,  going  up  wind 
on  the  south-west  shore;  I  landed  behind  them, 
gnl  n  sliol  .-it  tile  old  one,  and  si  nick  her  through: 
they  iju'ii  T'.Mii  11])  Ihe  hill.  1  laid  down  m}"  gun, 
]nn'su<'(l  and  caught  the  cu))  in  my  hands.  T1i(^ 
dam  no  soonci-  heard  it  cvy,  than  she  sloppctl, 
roared  and  lln-catened  me  with  an  attard-:;  but  the 
mate  fired  ;iiid  l<ilh-d  hci-.  T  scnl  the  cub  on  boai'd, 
intendinu  1o  keep  i1  ;ili\-c;  ]iu1  my  peo|)le  being 
much  afraid  it  would  wdrry  Ihcm,  sr|ueezed  it  so 
hard  as  to  force  the  meat  undigested  through  it, 


282  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

and  it  died  soon  after.  We  then  walked  to  North 
Point,  and  saw  many  curlews,  but  they  were  so 
wild,  that  I  killed  but  three. 

Monday,  August  30,  1779.  The  bears  were 
skinned  and  weighed;  the  old  one  was  but  sev- 
enty-two pounds,  and  the  cub  only  eight;  they 
had  nothing  but  alexander  in  them.  || 

Wednes.,  Septemher  8,  1779.  At  noon  I  dis- 
covered a  black-bear  feeding  on  Venison  Head; 
taking  Mr.  Collingham,  Martin,  and  four  dogs 
with  me,  we  landed  under  Berry  Hill,  and  shot 
him  through.  I  then  laid  the  dogs  on  and  baited 
him  for  some  time;  they  all  behaved  very  well, 
particularly  the  greyhound,  which  always  kept 
behind:  but  the  three  Newfoundland  dogs  seizing 
forward,  he  lamed  them  all,  and  one  of  them  so 
desperately,  that  I  am  afraid  he  will  scarcely  ever 
be  good  for  any  thing  again.  Observing  that  the 
other  two  were  in  great  danger  also,  I  seized  the 
bear  by  the  back  of  the  neck,  introduced  my  knife 
behind  his  shoulder  to  his  heart,  and  killed  him. 
This  method,  I  learnt  from  his  majesty's  Jagurs, 
in  the  forest  of  Linsburg,  in  Hanover,  when  I  was 
killing  wild  boars  with  them,  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  German  War.  When  a  boar  is  stabbed  in  that 
manner,  he  instantly  drops  dead,  but  this  bear  did 
not;  on  the  contrary-  he  fought  the  dogs  most 
furiously  until  all  his  blood  was  spilt,  and  the 
exertions  which  he  made,  forced  it  up  my  sleeve 
as  high  as  my  elbow.  He  weighed  sixty-three 
pounds,  was  getting  fat,  and  I  judge  him  to  be 
about  three  or  four  years  old. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  283 

Friduij,  S(  pt(  Hibc  r  W,  17}U.  At  nine  this  iiK»rn- 
iiig,  taking"  Janics  CI  ready  and  three  other  good 
hands  with  me,  1  sailed  in  the  Bea\er  for  Charles 
Harbour. 

Monday,  September  13,  1779.  [He  arrived  at 
Port  Marnhani  on  this  day  at  seven  in  the  evening.] 
As  John  Baskem  had  taken  possession  of  this 
place,  cut  up  several  of  my  casks,  and  done  me 
other  injuries,  I  had  determined  to  turn  him, 
his  family  and  goods  out  of  my  houses  and  seize 
his  tisli  for  satisfaction:  but  he  not  being  at  home, 
and  observing  that  neither  his  wife  nor  chil- 
dren had  a  shoe  to  their  feet,  and  were  in  the 
utmost  i30verty  and  distress,  my  resentment  was 
turned  into  pity,  and  I  accordingly  made  him  a 
present,  by  a  written  deed  of  gift,  of  my  houses 
and  all  my  interest  in  that  place  and  Deer  Har- 
bour, which  is  an  appendage  to  it,  and  also  of 
what  salmon-racks  and  cribs  I  had  at  Charles 
Harbour. 

Tue.sdaij,  Svjdcmhcr  14,  1770.  We  sailed  at 
four  this  morning,  and  at  six  anchored  in  Charles 
Harbour,  wlicrc  I  found  ;ill  luy  houses  shut  u]), 
and  noihing  missing  of  what  had  been  left  this 
spring. 

[Cai-t wriulit  rctui'ucd  to  P>la<'kgu,'ii-(1  Hny  where 
he  settled  his  ;i<-c..uii1s,  .-ind  lo.-idcd  the  Countess 
of  Effinghani  (It('|)  witli  fish.] 

Moiidnji,  Oclohcr  :jr),  177!L  \  shipp<'(l  off  all  my 
own  bniTLr.'ili'e,  also  the  chests  .lud  hi'ddiiiL!,-  belong- 
ing to  ni\'  discjiaru'cd  scr\;iuts;  who,  togclhcr 
with   Mr.   D.iuhcuy,  M  i-s.  Scihy,  [whose  child  had 


284  CAPTAIN   CARTWBIGHT'S 

died  on  September  16tli]  and  I,  embarked  in  the 
evening. 

Wednes.,  October  27,  1779,  At  half  past  seven 
this  morning  we  began  to  heave  up  the  anchor, 
but  it  was  so  firmly  fixed  in  the  ground,  which  is 
tough  black  clay,  that  it  was  with  the  utmost  dif- 
ficulty, and  not  without  the  assistance  of  all  the 
men  from  the  shore,  we  could  weigh  it;  we  broke 
a  couple  of  purchasing  bars  in  the  operation.  At 
nine  we  got  to  sea  through  the  eastern  passage, 
with  a  strong  gale  at  north-west;  there  being  a 
high  sea  running,  and  the  ship  extremely  deep, 
and  too  much  by  the  head,  she  plunged  into  it  in 
such  manner,  that  it  made  quite  a  free  passage 
over  her.  The  gale  kept  gradually  increasing  un- 
til the  next  evening,  by  which  time  it  became  a 
very  heavy  one,  and  continued  so  for  twenty-four 
hours,  which  carried  us  into  the  latitude  of  Funk 
Island,  and  as  we  judged,  about  fourteen  leagues 
to  the  eastward  of  it.  All  that  time  it  froze  so 
severely,  that  everything  was  solid  ice,  as  high  up 
the  rigging  as  the  spray  of  the  sea  reached:  but 
now  both  wind  and  frost  abated,  and  we  had  after- 
wards mild,  foggy  weather,  with  light  baffling 
winds,  until  the  fourth  of  November,  when  we  had 
a  fresh  breeze  at  south-west,  with  which  we  got 
safe  to  an  anchor  in  the  harbour  of  St.  John's,  in 
Newfoundland,  where  I  went  to  get  convoy.  I 
found  lying  here  Admiral  Edwards,  the  governor 
of  Newfoundland,  in  the  Romney  man  of  war  of 
sixty  guns;  the  Surprise  and  L3^corne  frigates; 
the  Marten  and  Cygnet  sloops;   and  the  Wildcat 


« 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  285 

and  Courier  aniicd  ve^^els;  bcsicR's  a  gi^'at  num- 
ber of  nierchantmeu.  I  iumiediately  waited  on 
the  admiral,  who  informed  me,  that  if  the  wind 
permitted,  he  should  sail  in  the  morning  for  Eng- 
land; accompanied  by  the  Surprise,  Lycorne,  and 
Marten,  and  should  take  under  his  convoy  all  such 
vessels  as  were  bound  to  England  or  Ireland.  I 
dined  on  board  the  Romney  with  captain  Mercier 
of  the  marines,  and  in  the  evening  I  went  on  shore 
to  transact  my  bTisiness  there,  but  could  do  noth- 
ing, everybody  ])eing  in  hurry  and  confusion.  The 
next  morning,  the  admiral  made  the  signal  to  pre- 
pare for  sailing,  but  the  wind  not  serving,  he 
could  not  stir.  I  landed  all  my  discharged  serv- 
ants, and  got  on  board  provisions  and  water  for  the 
ship.  At  four  o'clock  the  following  morning  (the 
sixth)  the  admiral  made  the  signal  to  unmoor, 
and  at  ten,  another  signal  was  given  to  weigh; 
when  the  Surprise,  ^larten,  and  several  merchant- 
men got  out  of  the  harl)our  with  all  speed.  At 
eleven  the  admiral  went  out;  we  got  up  our  an- 
chor at  two  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  Lycorne 
frigate  did  llie  same  immediately  after.  When 
we  got  out  to  sea,  the  admiral  and  the  body  of  the 
fleet  were  so  far  ahead,  that  we  eoidd  not  distin- 
guish his  ship,  noi'  any  of  the  men  of  wai",  except 
the  Tjvcorne;  whidi  by  that  time  was  two  miles 
off.  and  iioin^'  fast  from  us.  We  were  about  two 
leagues  off  at  sunset;  many  vessels  were  then 
.just  LTot  nut,  and  we  o])served  s<'\'era]  others  get- 
tin^j,  nndcj-  w;iy;  llic  mouth  of  tlie  liarbour  being 
open  to  us.     That  hai'bour  being  very  narrow,  a 


286  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

fleet  of  eighty-four  sail  of  merchant  ships,  must 
necessarily  take  a  long  time  to  get  out;  or  they 
would  fall  on  board  of  each  other;  and  I  saw  sev- 
eral do  so.  We  expected  that  the  admiral  would 
heave  to  for  the  remainder  of  the  night,  when  he 
had  got  to  a  proper  distance  from  the  land;  yet 
although  we  carried  sail  the  whole  night,  and  every 
day  and  night  after,  with  very  strong  and  heavy 
gales  (in  which  we  split  the  head  of  our  rudder; 
strained  the  ship  so,  that  she  leaked  very  much, 
which  she  had  never  done  before;  split  some  of 
her  sails  to  pieces,  and  were  most  of  the  time 
nearly  under  water,  by  cariying  to  such  extrem- 
ity) we  saw  nothing  more  of  the  admiral  or  the 
fleet,  until  the  morning  of  the  twelfth;  when  we 
discovered  them  about  four  leagues  off  upon  our 
weather  bow.  At  eight  o  'clock,  we  saw  some  guns 
fired  by  a  ship,  which  we  supposed  to  be  the  ad- 
miral, but  could  not  tell  the  meaning  of  them. 
We  continued  to  carry  every  sail  which  could 
stand,  and  threw  out  a  signal  for  seeing  a  strange 
vessel,  but  no  notice  was  taken  of  it;  nor  did  the 
admiral  shorten  sail  in  the  evening  to  collect  his 
fleet,  although  other  vessels,  as  well  as  mine,  were 
far  astern  and  one  large  ship  a  great  way  to  lee- 
ward. That  night,  and  the  following  day  proving 
foggy,  we  never  saw  him  or  the  fleet  afterwards. 
We  had  every  day  from  leaving  St.  John's  seen 
several  unfortunate  vessels,  who  like  ourselves, 
had  been  left  behind;  and  we  continued  to  do  the 
same,  for  above  half  the  voyage  after.  We  still 
carried  sail  to  the  very  utmost  extremity  for  many 


LAPRADOl?    JOUPJNAL  287 

days  after,  and  then,  giving  up  all  hopes  of  joining 
the  fleet,  we  carried  only  as  nnich  as  prudence 
warranted.  For  fear  of  being  taken,  I  directed 
that  the  ship  should  be  kept  in  the  latitude  of  the 
Shannon;  inteudini;-  to  land  there  nivself;  be- 
cause,  had  I  been  taken,  the  i)eople  whom  I  left 
behind  would  probably  ha\ c  been  starved  to  death 
next  year,  for  want  of  a  supply  of  provisions.  We 
had  a  very  blowing  passage,  with  many  contrary 
winds,  and  nuieh  dark  weather.  On  the  evening 
of  the  twenty-ninth,  by  an  observation  of  the 
moon  and  a  fixed  star,  taken  by  captain  Kinloch 
the  night  before,  we  found  ourselves  still  thirteen 
leagues  to  the  westward  of  the  Blasques,  although 
we  ought  to  have  been  half  w^ay  up  the  Shannon, 
according  to  the  dead  reckoning.  It  then  blowing 
very  hard  at  north-west  by  north,  we  stood  under 
our  courses  to  the  southward;  but  seeing  no  land, 
at  eight  the  next  morning,  by  which  time  we  knew 
we  were  to  the  southward  of  the  Blasques  we  bore 
away  i-ight  along  shore  till  noon;  when  being  in 
the  latitude  of  ^^'  22'  noi-th,  T  ordered  a  course 
to  lie  shaped  direct  for  Cape  Clear,  which,  if  the 
longitudinal  obser\ation  was  right,  an<l  the  wind 
held,  would  cai'i-y  us  a])reast  of  the  island  called 
Dorses,  by  foui-  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  length  of 
Cape  Clear  ])y  midm'ght.  The  obsei'vation  ]n'oved 
so  very  exact  that  we  actually  made  the  former  on 
our  larboanl  ])eam  at  a  rpiarter  before  four,  and 
at  niidniLzbt  wc  wcfc  close  in  with  tlx'  lattci'.  Tliis 
is  the  thii'd  time  tluit  I  have  seen  those  observa- 
tions   taken.    ■,n\(\    ('.•idi    time    ihoy    ascertnin    the 


288  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

longitude  to  the  greatest  nicety;  full  as  much  so, 
as  the  meridian  observation  of  the  smi  does  that 
of  the  latitude.  It  immediately  after  became  calm, 
and  so  continued  till  day-light,  when  we  had  a 
fair  sight  of  the  land,  at  about  three  leagues  dis- 
tance. A  light  breeze  then  came  from  the  south- 
ward and  brought  on  thick  fog,  when  we  stood 
along  shore  to  the  eastward,  sometimes  seeing  the 
land,  and  others  not.  The  wind  increased  by  de- 
grees until  it  reduced  us  to  close  reefed  topsails; 
the  fog  was  then  become  very  thick,  and  w^e  began 
to  think  ourselves  in  danger  of  being  lost;  as  we 
were  not  far  from  the  shore,  the  wind  being  dead 
on  it,  and  a  gale  of  wind,  wdth  a  long  dark  night 
at  hand.  Lost  we  must  have  been,  beyond  all 
doubt,  had  not  a  pilot  boat,  lying  off  the  Old  Head 
of  Kinsale,  got  sight  of  us,  and  boarded  us  at  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon;  w^e  then  were  Avithin  a 
mile  of  that  land  yet  could  not  see  it.  We  immedi- 
ately put  up  the  helm,  squared  the  yards,  and  at 
four,  came  safe  to  an  anchor  in  the  excellent  har- 
bour of  Kinsale;  by  which  time  it  blew  a  desper- 
ate gale  of  wind,  with  so  thick  a  fog,  that  we  could 
not  see  across  the  harbour,  and  both  continued  for 
three  days.  The  next  morning  I  w^ent  on  shore, 
and  took  up  my  quarters  at  a  house  called  the 
Bowling-green,  and  had  the  pleasure  to  find  gen- 
eral Moucher  and  several  of  my  old  friends  of  the 
Regiment  of  Buffs;  I  dined  at  the  mess  of  the 
latter.  The  following  day  I  dined  with  the  gen- 
eral; on  Sunday  the  fifth  of  December  I  went  to 
church,  where  I  returned  God  thanks  for  my  safe 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  289 

arrival,  and  the  merciful  deliverance  i  liad  lately 
received  from  his  hands.  1  heard  a  most  excellent 
sermon  on  Patience;  after  which  I  dined  with  Mr. 
Othwell,  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  Customs  here. 
On  Wednesday  I  went  to  Cork  to  get  some  money 
from  Mr.  Jasper  Lucas,  merchant  at  that  place, 
and  to  settle  a  credit  for  my  ship  with  him.  I  re- 
turned the  next  day;  and  late  the  following  night 
embarked  on  board  the  George  Privateer  of  Bris- 
tol, commanded  by  captain  John  ^Eajor,  a  gentle- 
man like  young  man,  who  very  politely  offered  me 
a  passage  for  myself  and  ]\Irs.  Selby,  to  Bristol. 
He  had  returned  from  a  six  months  cruise,  in 
which  he  had  taken  only  one  Spanish  ship,  bound 
from  Cadiz  to  the  Havanah.  Early  the  next  morn- 
ing we  sailed  with  a  fair  wind  at  south-west,  and 
pleasant  weather;  but  the  wind  kept  creeping 
forward  until  we  were  forced  to  haul  the  bow- 
lines; and  as  we  did  not  make  a  sufficient  allow- 
ance for  the  indraught  of  the  tide  into  8t.  George's 
Channel;  at  two  the  next  morning,  we  discovered 
the  light  of  the  Smalls  on  our  weather  bow.  The 
consequence  was,  that  for  the  remainder  of  that 
day,  and  all  the  next  night,  we  were  tossed  about 
by  a  hai-d  gale  of  wind  in  St.  George's  chamiel; 
but,  instead  of  repining  at  our  fate,  we  had  great 
cause  to  rejoice;  iOv  had  we  got  into  Bristol  Chan- 
iK'I  thai  iiiuhl,  we  iiiiisl  lia\-e  been  cast  away  on 
the  Welsh  coast.  At  day-l)reak  tlic  following 
moniing,  we  saw  land  ahead  and  to  leeward,  which 
we  supf)Osed  was  Barsey  Island,  and  tlie  land  ad- 
joiniii.ij,;    and  lliaf  c()iis('(|iicii1  ly  wc  wci'c  iiiibaycd 


290  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

on  the  Welsh  Coast,  and  should  be  lost;  but  on 
drawing  nearer  to  it,  we  were  agreeably  surprised 
to  discover  that  it  was  Tuscar  and  part  of  Ireland ; 
we  had  still  a  smart,  close-reefed  gale  with  which 
we  tacked,  and  at  one  o'clock  got  sight  of  St. 
David's  Head.  At  three  in  the  afternoon,  having 
weathered  the  Smalls,  we  bore  away  up  Bristol 
Channel  with  a  strong  gale,  which  by  that  time 
had  got  to  north-west.  At  ten  we  heaved  to,  and 
saw  Lundy  the  next  morning  at  four.  We  were 
abreast  of  Illford  Coome  at  nine,  when  a  Pilot 
boarded  us,  and  at  the  same  time  we  were  chased 
by  two  press  boats  from  thence,  which  the  people 
kept  off  by  firing  shot  at  them.  At  four  in  the 
afternoon  we  anchored  at  Posset,  and  I  had  very 
soon  after  the  j^leasure  to  set  my  foot  on  Old  Eng- 
land once  more,  by  landing  at  a  place  called  Lamp- 
lighters Hall,  where  I  spent  the  night.  I  sent  a 
man  to  Bristol  this  morning  for  a  Permit  from  the 
Custom-house,  for  landing  my  baggage;  bvit  the 
forms  of  office  requiring  more  ceremony  and  de- 
lay, than  were  either  necessary  in  my  case,  or  con- 
venient to  myself,  I  set  out  for  Bristol  in  a  chaise 
in  the  evening.  My  baggage  arrived  at  the  Cus- 
tom-house the  next  morning,  and  each  legal  fee 
being  paid,  as  well  as  some,  which,  perhaps,  were 
not  so,  it  was  delivered  to  me  again;  and  at  noon 
I  set  off  in  a  chaise  towards  London.  I  lay  that 
night  at  Devises,  and  the  next  day,  at  nine  in  the 
evening,  I  arrived  in  Town.  In  a  short  time  after 
I  went  into  the  country  to  my  father's;  I  set  Mrs. 
Selby  down  at  her  brother's  house,  by  the  way. 


LABJR.U)OK    JOURN.VL  291 

and  made  lier  an  aimual  allowance  for  life;  having 
strictly  kept  the  resolution  which  I  made  on  the 
twentieth  of  Ma}^  last,  and  the  declaration  made 
on  the  tw^enty-sixth. 


END  OF   THE  FOURTH  VOYAGE, 
AND  SECOND  VOLUME. 


292  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 


THE   FIFTH   VOYAGE 

Soon  after  my  arrival  in  England  in  the  year 
1779,  I  found  upon  settling  my  accompts,  that  the 
various  and  great  misfortunes  which  I  had  met 
with  had  involved  me  in  a  much  larger  debt  than 
I  was  able  to  pay.  Interest  then  suggested  to  me, 
that  an  immediate  bankruptcy  would  be  the  most 
advantageous  step  I  could  take ;  but  honor  forbade 
it;  because,  I  knew  that  my  father  had  by  his  will, 
made  me  his  sole  heir  and  executor,  after  paying 
his  debts  and  such  legacies  as  were  contained  in 
his  will:  and  by  my  calculations,  I  judged  there 
would  be  a  sufficiency,  not  onty  to  pay  them,  but 
also  both  principal  and  interest  of  my  own  debts, 
and  leave  a  competent  maintenance  for  me  into  the 
bargain  when  ever  his  exit  should  happen,  which, 
from  his  age  and  infirmities,  I  had  reason  to  sup- 
pose could  not  be  at  any  distant  period:  besides 
which,  I  had  other  expectations.  I  therefore  laid 
those  things  before  my  principal  creditors,  and 
gave  them  their  choice  whether  they  would  im- 
mediately proceed  to  extremities,  or  give  me  time 
and  wait  for  that  event.  They  chose  the  latter, 
but  required  me  to  give  bonds  and  such  other 
securities  as  were  in  my  power;  and  as  I  had  no 
intention  of  doing  any  thing  but  what  was  strictly 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  293 

honest  and  just,  I  hesitated  not  to  comply  with 
their  demands:  but  I  have  since  found,  that  I 
should  have  acted  more  prudently  if  I  had  taken 
good  advice  first,  and  had  the  accompts  strictly 
examined,  by  which,  my  debts  would  have  been 
greatly  reduced.  I  now  continued  to  carry  on  my 
business  as  usual,  and  every  3'ear  after  met  with 
more  misfortunes:  in  particular,  my  ship,  the 
Countess  of  Effingham  was  dashed  to  pieces  in 
Trinity  Bay,  in  the  spring  of  178L  A  new 
schooner,  which  had  been  that  year  built  by  my 
orders  at  Paradise,  arrived  at  Dartmouth,  about 
Christmas,  a  mere  wreck;  with  great  part  of  her 
cargo  thrown  over  board,  and  only  a  single  hun- 
dred pounds  insured  on  her,  and  that  was  done, 
at  thirty-three  guineas  per  cent.  The  next  year, 
she  was  taken  by  the  enemy.  These  misfortunes 
caused  great  hindrance  to  my  business  in  Labra- 
dor, and  prevented  the  fish,  and  other  things  which 
were  procured  there,  from  being  sent  off  the  coast 
to  their  res])ective  markets.  On  the  eighth  of 
Decembei-  1781  my  fatlici-  died;  and  towards  the 
end  of  the  following  year,  T  discovered,  that  he 
had,  a  little  before  his  death,  settled  upon  my  next 
bi-otlu')-,  John,  landed  estates  to  the  amount  of 
nine  hundred  and  iltty  pounds  five  shillings  a 
year;  and  that  the  demands  which  were  upon  the 
residue  f)f  his  estates  and  effects,  for  debts  and 
Ici^acies,  wonld  ]ir»t  only  swallow  up  the  whole, 
but  wei'c  moT'f  Ity  ;i  few  hundreds  than  they  would 
satisfy;  eonse(|iieii1ly,  11i;i1  iiol  one  sliilling-  would 
(•((iiie  to  nie  from  tli;it  (|n;ii*1er;  and  that,  what  with 


294  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

the  accumulation  of  interest  and  the  late  addi- 
tional losses,  my  debts  were  considerably  in- 
creased. However,  I  had  yet  one  chance  left,  for 
I  received  a  letter  from  my  agent,  Mr.  Robert 
Collingham,  informing  me  that  he  had  met  with  a 
vein  of  some  kind  of  ore,  twenty  inches  wide.  I 
therefore  determined  to  return  again  to  Labrador, 
and  take  a  miner  from  Derbyshire  with  me  to  ex- 
amine it;  not  in  the  least  doubting,  but  I  should 
soon  be  out  of  debt,  and  also  in  very  affluent  cir- 
cumstances. I  then  appointed  my  brother  John 
my  attorney,  to  transact  all  the  business  of  the 
executorship,  put  all  my  late  father's  effects  into 
his  hands,  and  prepared  for  my  intended  voy- 
age. 

June  5,  1783.  This  morning  at  three  o'clock  I 
left  London,  and  went  in  the  stage  coach  to  Poole. 
I  arrived  there  at  eight  o'clock  that  night,  and 
went  to  Mr.  Lester's  house;  where  he  politely  en- 
treated me  to  continue  until  my  embarkation,  and 
I  accepted  his  offer.  I  found  Samuel  Mather,  a 
Derbyshire  miner,  had  arrived  here  some  time 
since. 

July  7,  1783.  This  afternoon,  I  embarked  on 
board  a  brig  belonging  to  Mr.  Lester,  called  the 
Labrador,  commanded  by  Mr.  John  Pitt;  and 
bound  to  Trinity  in  Newfoundland. 

[On  August  24th  Cartwright  landed  at  Trinity 
Harbour,  and  on  August  30th  he  sailed  in  the  brig 
Catharine  for  Paradise,  in  Labrador,  where  he 
arrived  at  noon  on  September  11th] ;  but  found 
no  living  creature  there,  except  a  Newfoundland 


LABRADOH    JOURNAL  295 

bitch.  The  dours  were  all  locked  up,  nor  could  we 
discover,  where  the  people  were  gone.  In  the 
evening  the  Esquimaux  which  w^e  had  seen  at 
Spotted  Island,  arrived  here  in  a  small  shallop 
and  a  whaling-boat,  and  pitched  their  tents  among 
my  houses :  which  now  consist  of  a  dwelling-house 
and  store-house  in  one,  sixty  feet  by  twenty  five, 
and  two  stories  high;  a  house  for  the  servants, 
thirty  feet  by  seventeen;  three  salmon-houses, 
ninety  feet  by  twenty  each;  and  a  smith's  shop, 
sixteen  feet  by  twelve.  On  the  south  side  of 
the  dwelling-house,  we  found  a  tolerable  large 
garden;  with  })lenty  of  cabbages,  turnips,  let- 
tuces, pease,  and  other  things  in  full  perfec- 
tion. 

Fridajj,  September  12,  1783.  I  had  the  vessel 
warped  to  the  wharf  head  and  landed  all  my 
goods;  having  taken  the  liberty  of  breaking  open 
the  servants  house.  I  had  a  little  trade  with  the 
Indians,  but  they  had  not  much  to  sell;  having 
already  disposed  of  most  of  the  goods  which  they 
brought  this  year.  At  eight  o'clock  at  night  Mr. 
Collingham,  tlie  cooper,  and  a  boy  arrived  in  the 
Neddy  (formerly  the  Caplin)  from  White-bear, 
and  Eagle  Kiver,  whithei-  they  had  been  to  bi'ing 
away  some  nets  and  ti'aps,  which  were  left  there. 
[  now  had  Hic  mortification  to  hear,  that  my  peo- 
ple liarl  killed  \('i'y  few  fui's  last  winter,  and  only 
seventy-one  tierces  of  salmon  this  summer.  But 
those  disappointments  wei'e  nothing,  compared  to 
another  wliich  I  now  expei-ienced;  foi*  the  sup- 
posed ore,  proved  to  be  a  ri'ial)le  su})stance  of  no 


296  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

use  or  value;  consequently,  all  my  expectations 
from  it  were  blasted,  and  I  clearly  foresaw  inevi- 
table ruin,  waiting  my  return  to  England. 

Saturday,  September  13,  1783.  I  had  a  small 
matter  of  trade  to-day  with  the  Indians,  and  ad- 
mired exceedingly  the  honest  principle  of  one  of 
them,  who  absolutely  refused  to  part  with  a 
bundle  of  whalebone,  which  he  had  brought 
to  pay  a  debt  with;  notwithstanding  I  assured 
him  that  the  person  to  whom  he  owed  it  was 
not  in  this  country,  nor  would  ever  return  to  it 
again. 

Tuesday,  September  23,  1783.  After  breakfast 
I  took  two  men  with  me  in  a  skiff,  and  went  to  the 
mouth  of  South-east  River:  where  we  landed  and 
walked  into  the  country,  on  the  south  side  of  it, 
as  far  as  the  east  end  of  the  large  black  hill,  called 
Thickhead.  The  distance  which  we  walked  to- 
day, is  about  seven  miles;  we  found  the  woods 
but  thin  in  general;  the  walking  good  and  plenty 
of  feed  for  deer  at  this  time  of  the  year,  and  for 
black-bears  in  the  summer.  The  food,  which  the 
black-bears  meet  with  here,  is  ants  and  flies:  the 
woods  have  been  burnt  several  years  ago,  and 
great  numbers  of  trees  lie  on  the  ground;  which 
being  now  perfectly  rotten,  are  filled  with  plenty 
of  ants  and  other  insects.  The  bears  break  these 
trees  to  pieces  with  their  paws,  and  lick  out  the 
insects  with  their  tongues.  This  is  no  supposi- 
tion, but  a  real  fact;  for  T  have  killed  a  bear  with 
her  paunch  almost  full  of  such  insects,  and  with 
nothing  else  in  her.    We  saw  in  the  course  of  the 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  297 

day  three  otters,  a  musquash,*  and  uine  spruee- 
ganie :  I  beheaded  one  of  the  latter  with  my  ritie, 
and  killed  another  with  shot. 

Sunday,  September  ^8,  1783.  As  all  accounts 
which  I  have  hitherto  read  of  beavers,  are  very 
erroneous,  I  shall  here  communicate  my  observa- 
tions on  those  animals.  I  suppose,  that  none  of 
the  writers  who  have  mentioned  them,  ever  saw 
a  beaver-house,  but  related  only  the  tales  of  illit- 
erate furriers,  whose  veracity  is  not  to  be  de- 
pended upon.  I  tremble  at  seeing  myself  under 
the  necessity  of  contradicting  that  celebrated  nat- 
ural historian  Compt  de  Buffon;  yet  I  must  take 
tlic  liberty  to  do  it.  He  says,  **  A  beaver  has  a 
scaly  lail,  ])ecause  he  eats  fish:  "  I  wonder  much 
that  Monsieur  Buffon  had  not  one  himself  for  the 
same  reason;  for  I  am  sure  that  he  has  eaten  a 
great  deal  more  fish,  than  all  the  beavers  in  the 
world  ]nit  together.  Beavers  will  neither  eat  fish, 
nor  any  other  animal  food;  but  live  upon  the 
leaves  and  bark  of  such  trees  and  shrubs  as  have 
not  a  resinous  juice,  and  the  root  of  the  water- 
lilly.  T  have  known  them  eat  black  spruce;  and 
1he\-  will  sniiid  iiiies  cut  down  silver  fii-;  but  T 
believe,  llwit  is  only  to  })uild  with  when  oth<^r 
trees  are  scarce.  AVhen  they  eat,  they  hold  their 
food  in  their  forepaws  and  sit  up  like  monkies. 
In  tlie  suniniei-  lime  tliey  f.iinble  about  xci'v  nnich, 
paying  little  regai'd  \n  llieii*  houses,  and  will  make 

'  I.ahnulor  musqn.'u^h  or  muskraf.  Fihrr  zihrlhinis  arjuUanivs.  Tlio 
nnirnnl  foiinrl  in  Labrador  is  Bmiillor  and  darkor  than  tho  common  musk- 
rat,  Fiher  zUnlfiirnn. 


298  CAPTAIN    CART  WRIGHT'S 

a  bed  of  sticks  shred  fine,  under  a  bush  near  the 
water-side,  and  there  sleep:  the  first  bed  of  this 
kind  which  I  found,  I  took  to  be  the  nest  of  a 
goose.  If  the  pond  which  they  lived  in  the  last 
winter,  has  plenty  of  such  food  as  they  like,  grow- 
ing by  the  side  of  it,  and  they  have  not  been  dis- 
turbed by  man,  they  will  seldom  quit  it;  but  if 
there  be  a  scarcity  of  food,  they  will  wander  about 
in  search  of  another,  where  they  can  be  more 
plentifully  supplied:  and  it  has  long  been  ob- 
served, that  of  all  the  trees  which  grow  in  New- 
foundland or  Labrador,  they  like  the  aspen  ^  best, 
and  next  to  that  the  birch.  Having  found  a  place 
convenient  for  the  purpose,  they  commonly  begin 
early  in  August  to  erect  their  house.  Their  mode 
of  constructing  it  I  had  from  a  ver}^  intelligent 
observer,  John  Edwards,  who  has  made  the  catch- 
ing of  them  his  whole  employment  for  several 
winters;  in  which  time  he  has  killed  several  hun- 
dreds. He  told  me,  if  the  pond  be  deep  close  to 
the  bank,  and  that  free  from  rocks,  they  begin 
under  water,  at  the  foot  of  the  bank,  and  scoop 
out  a  hole,  rising  gradually  to  the  surface;  carry- 
ing all  the  earth  which  they  dig  out  there  to  the 
top,  and  mix  abundance  of  sticks,  and  even  stones 
among  it.  The  sticks  which  they  make  use  of  on 
this  occasion,  are  of  all  sizes,  from  the  thickness 
of  a  man's  ancle  to  his  little  finger,  but  very  sel- 
dom of  larger  dimensions.  They  pile  up  these 
materials  in  the  form  of  a  dome,  sometimes  to  the 
height  of  six,  or  seven  feet  above  the  level  of  the 

*  Populus   tremuloides. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  299 

ground,  but  coinmoiily  not  more  than  four.  The 
base  is  generally  of  an  oval  form;  the  height  ten 
or  twelve  feet,  and  eight  or  nine  in  width.  As 
they  raise  this  pile  above,  they  hollow^  it  out  below, 
taking  care  that  their  bed,  or  lodging  place,  shall 
be  above  the  reach  of  the  floods,  and  sufficiently 
roomy  to  contain  the  whole  family.  From  the 
fore  part  of  the  house,  they  build  a  projection  into 
the  pond,  sloping  downwards  all  the  way,  and 
under  this  they  enter  into  their  house.  This  en- 
trance is  called  by  the  furriers,  the  Angle;  nor 
do  they  always  content  themselves  with  one,  but 
more  commonly  will  have  two,  and  sometimes 
three.  They  have  but  one  apartment,  which  is 
tenned  the  lodging,  and  which  is  shaped  in  the 
inside  like  an  oven,  the  bottom  of  which  is  cov- 
ered with  the  shreds  of  sticks,  resembling  fine 
narrow  shavings.  At  a  little  distance  from  the 
angle,  is  their  magazine  of  provisions,  which  con- 
sists of  the  roots  of  water-lilly,  and  the  branches 
of  trees;  the  but-ends  of  the  latter  they  stick  into 
the  mud,  where  there  is  any.  The  whole  is  termed 
trritli.  and  1  have  seen  as  much  as  a  cart  would 
linld;  great  jjart  appearing  above  water.  They 
are  very  industrious  creatures,  for  even  amidst 
a  superabundance  of  provisions,  they  will  con- 
tinue to  add  to  the  store;  and  though  their  house 
be  completely  built,  Ihcy  will  still  carry  on  fresh 
works,  until  the  pond  is  frozen  fii-iii  over;  they  will 
even  keep  a  hole  open  to  work  on  the  house  for 
some  nights  after,  })i'o\ided  the  frost  is  not  very 
severe:    and  as  they  will   enter  every  old  house 


300  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

and  do  a  little  work  upon  it,  young  furriers  are 
frequently  deceived  thereby,  supposing  those 
houses  to  be  inhabited.  Although  they  will  some- 
times continue  in  the  same  pond  for  three  or  four 
years  or  more,  yet  they  will  frequently  build 
themselves  a  new  house  every  year;  at  other 
times  they  will  repair  an  old  one,  and  live  in  that; 
and  they  often  build  a  new  house  upon,  or  close 
adjoining  to  an  old  one,  making  the  two  tops  into 
one,  and  cut  a  communication  between  the  lodg- 
ings: hence,  I  presume,  arose  the  idea  of  their 
having  several  apartments.  When  the  pond  is 
not  deep  enough  for  them,  they  will  throw  a  dam 
across  the  mouth  of  the  brook,  by  which  it  dis- 
charges its  water,  to  raise  it  to  a  sufficient  height; 
making  use  of  sticks,  stones,  mud,  and  sand  for 
this  purpose.  Some  of  these  I  have  seen  of  great 
length  and  strength,  insomuch  that  I  have  walked 
over  them  with  the  greatest  safety,  though  not 
quite  dry-shod,  if  they  be  new,  as  the  water  al- 
ways sheds  over  them,  being  on  an  exact  level 
from  end  to  end.  But  if,  notwithstanding  the 
stint,  they  cannot  raise  the  water  to  a  proper 
depth,  near  the  bank,  they  build  their  house  in  the 
pond,  at  a  few  yards  distance  from  the  shore,  be- 
ginning at  the  bottom  and  hollowing  it  out  as  they 
go  on,  for  they  must  have  about  three  feet  depth 
over  the  end  of  the  angle,  or  the  water  would 
freeze  in  it,  and  they  could  go  neither  in  nor  out. 
If  there  be  an  island  in  the  pond,  they  generally 
make  their  house  on  that,  being  the  safest  place; 
and  by  far  the  greatest  number  of  houses  are  on 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  301 

the  north  shore,  for  the  advantage  of  the  sun. 
They  have  no  opening  from  their  house  on  the 
land  side,  and  for  these  reasons;  because  the 
frosty  air  would  enter  at  that  hole  and  freeze  up 
the  water  in  the  angle,  whereby  they  would  be 
cut  off  from  their  magazine:  the  wolves  likewise 
and  other  enemies  might  enter  thereat  and  kill 
them;  and  the  cold  would  be  greater  than  they 
could  bear.  For,  although  they  are  provided  with 
a  thick  skin,  covered  with  plenty  of  long,  warm 
fur,  they  cannot  endure  severe  frost,  being  well 
known,  that  they  die  if  exposed  to  it  for  a  short 
time.  By  what  I  have  said,  the  reader  will  sup- 
pose they  are  endued  with  unerring  sagacity,  but 
that  is  not  the  case;  for  they  have  been  known 
to  build  their  house  in  a  pond,  where  there  was 
such  a  scarcity  of  food,  that  they  have  all  died  for 
want ;  or  in  one,  that  lay  in  a  flat  countn^,  which, 
by  a  great  thaw  in  the  winter,  has  been  flooded; 
when  they  have  been  obliged  to  cut  a  hole  through 
the  crown  of  the  lodging,  and  by  so  doing,  and  the 
water  freezing  in  their  house  on  the  return  of  the 
frost,  they  have  not  been  able  to  get  into  it  again, 
but  have  all  been  found  dead  upon  it.  At  other 
times,  they  have  lived  on  a  brook,  where  a  thaw 
has  caused  such  a  stream  as  has  washed  away  all 
their  food,  and  consequently  starved  them.  They 
will  oflcii  nil)  a  stint  ar-ross  a  narrow  valley, 
tln-nnt^^li  which  a  small  drain  of  water  runs,  and 
where  plenty  of  willows,  alders  and  such  like 
things  grow,  and  make  a  pond  for  themselves. 
The  furrier  has  then  only  to  cut  the  stint,  and 


302  CAPTAIN   CAETWRIGHT'S 

when  the  water  is  run  off,  he  kills  them  all  with 
the  greatest  ease.  As  the  killing  of  beavers  is 
an  art  appertaining  to  the  science  of  furring, 
which  I  do  not  wish  to  make  public,  I  shall  say 
no  more  on  that  head,  except  that  they  are  always 
killed  by  staking  their  houses,  by  guns,  or  by 
traps;  and  not  by  hunting  them  with  dogs,  by 
men  on  horse-back  with  spears,  as  I  have  seen 
ridiculousl}^  described  in  prints.  Nor  do  they 
ever  castrate  themselves  to  escape  their  pursuers, 
for  that  part  is  not  only  of  no  use,  but  both  those, 
their  prides  and  oil-bags  (the  two  latter  vessels 
being  common  to  both  sexes,  and  the  prides  only 
used  in  medicine,  known  by  the  name  of  casto- 
reum)  lie  so  completely  within  them,  that  the 
operation  must  be  performed  by  a  very  skilful 
hand  indeed,  and  with  the  greatest  care  not  to 
kill  them.  Besides,  what  made  them  acquainted 
with  the  cause  of  their  being  pursued?  If  their 
flesh  were  not  such  excellent  eating,  very  few 
beaver-skins  would  ever  come  to  market.  Bea- 
vers generally  bring  forth  two  young  ones  at  a 
time,  which  are  most  commonly  male  and  female; 
yet  they  will  often  have  but  one,  especially  the 
first  time  of  breeding;  and  sometimes  three  or 
four;  and  I  was  told  by  a  man  of  mine  (Joseph 
Tero)  that  he  once  cut  seven  out  of  an  old  one. 
The  first  year,  they  are  called  pappooses;  the  sec- 
ond, small  medlers;  the  third,  large  medlers;  the 
fourth,  heaver;  and  after  that,  old  or  great  heaver. 
They  copulate  in  May,  and  bring  forth  toward 
the  end  of  June.     Tlie  young  ones  continue  to 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  303 

live  with  their  parents  until  tliey  are  full  three 
years  old;  then  pair  oft',  build  a  house  for  them- 
selves, and  begin  to  breed.  Yet  sometimes,  and 
not  uncommonly,  if  they  are  undisturbed  and 
have  plenty  of  provisions,  they  will  continue 
longer  with  the  old  ones,  and  breed  in  the 
same  house.  They  are  then  called  a  double 
crew;  and  that  was  the  case  with  the  family 
which  we  found  yesterday.  It  oftentimes  hap- 
pens, that  a  single  beaver  lies  retired,  and  it  is 
then  stiled  by  furriers,  a  hermit:  they  say,  it  is 
turned  out  from  the  family,  because  it  is  lazy  and 
will  not  work;  and  what  is  very  singular  (for 
be  the  cause  what  it  will,  the  fact  is  certain)  all 
hermit  beavers  have  a  black  mark  on  the  inside 
uf  the  skin  u])on  their  backs,  called  a  saddle, 
which  distinguishes  them.  I  rather  think  the 
cause  of  hermit  beavers  to  be  fidelity;  as  they 
are  very  faithful  creatures  to  their  mate;  and  by 
some  accident  or  other,  losing  that  mate,  they 
either  will  not  pair  again,  or  remain  single  until 
they  can  find  another  hermit  of  the  contrary  sex; 
and  that  the  saddle  proceeds  I'l-oiii  the  want  of  a 
pai'tner  to  keej)  their  back  warm,  f  am  sure  that 
suj)position  is  more  natural,  than,  that  it  should 
be  turned  out  because  it  is  lazy;  foi"  many  of  those 
hermit  beavers  do  so  iimkIi  work  that  good  fur- 
riers have  sometiiiK's  been  (h'ceived,  ;\u<]  imag- 
ined, they  had  found  a  small  ei-ew.  Whctliei"  tliey 
d(j,  o]'  do  not  make  use  of*  tlicii-  t.-iils  as  trowels  to 
plaster  theii'  houses  willi,  I  (•.iiiiioj  say,  though  T 
am  inclined  to  believe  llicy  do  not;    because  their 


304  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

tail  is  so  heavy,  and  the  tendons  of  it  so  weak, 
though  numerous,  that  I  do  not  think  they  can 
use  it  to  that  effect ;  and  that  therefore  they  daub 
the  earth  on  with  their  hands,  for  I  must  call  them 
so.  When  they  dive,  they  give  a  smack  on  the 
water  with  their  tails  as  they  go  down;  but  that 
appears  to  me  to  proceed  from  the  tail  falling  over 
with  its  own  weight.  They  move  very  slowly  on 
land,  and  being  also  a  very  cowardly  creature,  are 
easily  killed  there  by  any  man  or  beast  that 
chances  to  meet  with  them:  yet,  being  defended 
by  long  fur,  and  a  thick  skin,  and  armed  with 
long,  strong  teeth,  firmly  set  in  very  strong  jaws, 
they  are  capable  of  making  a  stout  resistance.  I 
have  heard  of  an  old  one,  which  cut  the  leg  of  a 
dog  nearly  off  at  one  stroke,  and  I  make  not  the 
least  doubt  of  the  truth  of  the  information.  Still 
I  have  been  informed,  that  otters  will  enter  their 
houses  and  kill  them;  but  I  believe  it  must  only 
be  the  young  ones,  when  the  old  ones  are  from 
home ;  for  I  hardly  think,  that  an  old  beaver  would 
suffer  itself  to  be  killed  by  an  otter.  When  met 
on  shore  by  a  man,  they  have  been  known  to  sit 
upon  their  breech  and  fall  a  crying  like  a  young 
child;   an  instance  of  which  I  must  relate. 

A  man  newly  arrived  in  Newfoundland,  was 
walking  through  a  wood,  and  near  a  pond;  where 
he  chanced  to  meet  a  beaver  with  a  billet  of  wood 
on  his  shoulder,  going  down  to  the  water.  As 
soon  as  the  creature  saw  him,  he  laid  down  his 
load,  sat  upon  his  breech  and  cried  exactly  like 
an  infant.     The  man  having  more  tenderness  in 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  305 

his  disposition  than  such  men  usually  have,  not 
knowing  what  it  was,  and,  perhaps,  taking  it  for 
a  creature  superior  to  the  brute  creation,  stopped 
and  addressed  it  thus,  "  Thou  need'st  not  cry, 
"  poor  thing,  for  I  would  not  hurt  thee  for  the 
'*  world;   so  thou  mayest  take  up  thy  turn  of  tire- 
"  wood  and  go  home  about  thy  business."     The 
above  story  I  do  not  give  as  a  positive  fact;   re- 
lating it  only  as  I  have  often  heard  it.    It  is  an 
actual  truth  however,  that  a  late  servant  of  mine, 
Charles  Atkinson,  could  never  be  i^re vailed  upon 
to  taste  the  flesh  of  beavers,  because  he  was  sure, 
he    said,    "  They    w^ere    enchanted    Christians." 
TMien  beavers  meet  with  a  sufficiency  of  aspen, 
birch,  or  such  shrubs  as  they  are  fond  of,  and 
which  are  not  bigger  than  a  stout  pole,  they  will 
seldom  cut  those  of  a  larger  size;  l)ul,  when  neces- 
sity oljliges  them,  they  will  cut  down  the  largest 
tree  that  ever  grew.     TTow  long  they  are  in  per- 
fonning  the  work,  1  have  no  o])portunit3^  to  as- 
certain, but  I  believe  it  is  done  in  no  great  time: 
for  I  once  found  at  the  foot  of  a  1)lack  s])ruce,  that 
they  had  cut  down,  a  chip  of  four  inches  in  length 
and  two  in  ])readth,  which  seemed  to  have  been 
taken  off  at  one  stroke.    And  T  have  seen  so  many 
stout  trees,  which  have  been  felled  by  them  in  the 
course  of  one  season,  tliat  T  am  conxinccd  they 
must  work  botli  (|uick  nnd  diliucntly.    Small  trees 
they  cut  on  one  side  only,  hut  lai'ge  ones  they  go 
round   and   alw.'iys   j'ell   tlieni   towards  th(>   wnler, 
to  s;i\('  tlieniseh  cs  carri;i^c.      A   slick.   I  lie  lliick- 
ness  of  a  stoul   wnlkinu-  (•.•me,  11ic\    will  <miI  off  at 


306  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

one  stroke,  and  as  clean  as  if  done  by  a  gardener's 
pruning-knife.  It  is  the  bark  only  of  trees  which 
they  eat,  and  seem  to  like  that  of  the  branches 
best,  though  they  will  eat  the  rind  of  the  trunks 
also.  Having  felled  a  large  tree,  they  lop  off  all 
the  branches,  and  those,  as  well  as  the  bodies  of 
small  trees,  they  cut  up  into  lengths  according 
to  their  weight  and  thickness;  the  larger  ones 
they  carry  on  their  shoulders  to  the  water  side, 
throw  them  in,  and  tow  them  to  the  place  where 
they  are  wanted;  the  long  branches  they  drag 
along  in  their  mouths.  They  always  cut  on  the 
windward  side  of  a  pond,  because,  by  swimming 
along  the  shore  before  they  land,  they  can  wind 
any  enemy  who  may  perchance  be  there;  the  wind 
also  assisting  them  to  fell  the  tree  towards  the 
water,  and  to  tow  the  wood  home.  These  crea- 
tures begin  to  grow  fat  after  the  middle  of  July, 
are  in  tolerable  case  by  the  end  of  August,  and  by 
the  end  of  September,  are  at  their  best,  provided 
they  have  good  living  and  are  not  disturbed. 
Those  which  feed  upon  bronze,^  particularly  on 
birch,  are  the  most  delicious  eating  of  any  animal 
in  the  known  world;  but  the  flesh  of  those  which 
feed  upon  the  root  of  the  water  lil}^,  although  it 
makes  them  much  fatter  than  any  other  food,  has 
a  strong  taste,  and  is  very  unpleasant.  After 
Christmas  they  begin  to  decline,  and  by  May  are 
commonly  poor;  in  these  particulars  they  resem- 
ble the  porcupine,  as  they  do  in  many  other  re- 
spects.    If  their  house  is  disturbed  much  before 

'  Or  brouse,  the  tender  shoots  or  twigs  of  shrubs  and  trees. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  307 

the  pond  is  frozen,  they  commonly  quit  it,  and 
go  into  the  next,  either  above  or  below;  or  they 
will  go  into  an  old  house  in  the  same  pond,  or  a 
small  one  of  their  own  there,  which  they  generally 
have  besides  the  one  they  live  in,  and  it  is  termed 
the  hovel.  If  they  have  been  teased  much  in 
former  years,  they  will  often  fly  for  a  very  slight 
disturbance;  but  should  the  furrier  chance  to 
catch  the  two  old  ones  at  first,  the  rest  of  the 
family  will  scarce  ever  quit  the  pond.  So  long  as 
the  pond  is  free  from  ice,  they  keep  adding  to 
their  magazine  of  provisions;  but  when  it  is 
frozen  firm,  they  begin  to  live  upon  it.  As  the 
sticks  which  compose  their  magazine  are  entan- 
gled one  in  another,  so  as  to  make  it  difficult  to 
extract  a  whole  one,  they  cut  a  piece  off,  bring 
it  into  their  house,  and  then  eat  off  the  bark:  after 
which,  they  carry  it  out  again  and  cast  it  loose  in 
the  water.  In  bringing  their  food  into  their 
house,  they  often  strike  one  end  of  the  stick  on 
the  bridge  of  a  trap,  which  the  furrier  has  placed 
for  them  in  the  angle.  From  this  circumstance, 
many  of  the  ignorant  people  have  positively  as- 
serted, that  the  sagacity  of  the  beaver  induced 
him  so  to  do,  to  prevent  being  caught  himself; 
but  if  beavers  had  so  much  knowledge,  very 
few  of  them,  I  am  persuaded,  would  be  taken. 
Whereas,  the  beaver's  safety  depends  chiefly  on 
llic  fun-iors'  ignorance,  for  lie  who  understands 
his  business  well,  will  certainly  catch  the  whole 
family,  or  nil  tbc  fMiiiilics  which  are  in  the  same 
pond  fir  it  he  not  too  lai'ge)  in  a  very  few  nights, 


308  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

be  they  ever  so  numerous.  If  they  are  caught 
young,  they  are  soon  made  tame,  and  then  are 
very  fond  of  boiled  pease.  Buffon  and  others  say, 
that  they  make  use  of  their  tails  as  sleds  to  draw 
stones  and  earth  upon:  I  cannot  contradict  their 
assertions,  as  I  have  never  seen  these  animals 
work;  but  I  do  not  believe  it,  because,  their  tails 
being  thickest  at  the  root  and  down  the  centre 
part,  it  would  be  almost  impossible  for  them  to 
keep  a  stone  on  it,  unless  held  there  by  another. 
Nor  have  I  ever  observed,  that  they  had  taken 
any  stones  oif  the  ground;  but  they  bring  them 
from  the  sides  and  bottoms  of  the  water,  and  must 
make  use  of  their  hands  for  those  purposes;  as 
they  could  easier  shove  and  roll  them  along,  than 
draw  them  on  their  tails:  besides,  the  skin  of  the 
under  part  of  the  tail  would  be  rubbed  off'  by  the 
friction  on  the  ground;  w^hich  never  yet  has  been 
observed  to  be  the  case  with  them,  and  is  a 
stronger  proof,  that  they  never  do  make  use  of 
them  for  that  purpose.  Those  who  compare  this 
account  with  the  writings  of  Buifon  ^  and  others, 

*  Buffon  (translation  by  William  Smellie,  London,  1791)  says  of  the 
beaver:  "  The  form  of  the  edifices  is  either  oval  or  round  .  .  .  some  of 
them  consist  of  three  or  four  stories;  and  their  walls  are  about  two  feet 
thick,  raised  perpendicularly  upon  planks,  or  plain  stakes.  .  .  .  They  are 
built  with  amazing  solidity,  and  neatly  plastered  both  without  and  within. 
They  are  impenetrable  to  rain,  and  resist  the  most  impetuous  winds. 
The  partitions  are  covered  with  a  kind  of  stucco,  as  nicely  plastered  as 
if  it  had  been  executed  by  the  hand  of  man.  In  the  application  of  this 
mortar,  their  tails  serve  for  trowels,  and  their  feet  for  plashing.  .  .  . 
These  retreats  are  not  only  very  safe,  but  neat  and  commodious.  The 
floors  are  spread  over  with  verdure.  The  branches  of  the  box  and  the 
fir  serve  them  for  carpets,  upon  which  they  permit  not  the  smallest  dirti- 
ness.   The  window  that  faces  the  water  answers  for  a  balcony  to  receive 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  309 

will  tiiid  a  great  difference^  but  it  iiiiist  be  reineui- 
bered,  that  they  wrote  entirely  from  hearsay,  and 
I,  from  experience  chiefly.  As  so  many  noble- 
men and  gentlemen  in  England  have  expended 
large  smns  on  curiosities  and  pleasure,  I  greatly 
wundei",  that  not  one,  out  of  so  many  who  have 
parks  well  walled  round  (for  no  other  fence  will 
do)  with  convenient  ponds  in  them,  have  been 
curious  enough  to  esta])lisli  a  colony  of  beavers; 
which  might  easily  ^be  done,  by  planting  plenty 
of  l)irch,  as])en,  ash,  willow,  sallow,  osier,  alder 
.and  other  such  like  trees  round  the  ponds,  accord- 
ing to  the  nature  of  the  soil,  and  procuring  a  few 
pairs  of  beavers  to  turn  in.  But  care  should  be 
taken  to  have  pairs  of  the  same  families,  lest  they 
should  all  turn  hermits. 

Tliiirsdai/,  Octohir  2,  1783.  I  sent  Edwards  this 
mornin^!:  with  two  other  men  to  the  beaver-house, 
and  they  returned  in  the  evening  with  a  ])eaver 
and  a  great  beaver;  another  tra]i  had  ])een  struck 

the  fresh  air,  and  to  bathe.  Durinfj;  the  greatest  part  of  the  day,  they  sit 
on  end,  with  their  head  and  anterior  parts  of  the  body  elevated  and  their 
posterior  parts  suni<  in  the  water.  .  .  .  The  continual  habit  of  kee[)ing 
their  tail  and  posterior  parts  in  the  water,  appears  to  have  clianKed  the 
nature  of  their  flesh.  That  of  their  anterior  parts,  as  far  as  tlie  reins, 
has  the  taste  and  eonsistenee  of  the  flesh  of  land  or  air  animals,  Init  that 
of  the  fail  and  posteriors  has  the  odour  and  all  tlie  other  qualities  of  fish." 
Buffon  repeats  only  to  reject  as  incredible  the  stories  "  that,  after  the 
beavers  have  establishe<J  a  society,  they  reduce  strangers  and  travellers 
of  their  own  species  into  slavery;  that  tlR*se  they  employ  to  carry  their 
earth  and  to  drag  their  trees;  that  the)*  treat  in  the  same  manner 
the  lazy  and  old  of  their  own  society;  that  they  turn  them  on  their  backs, 
and  make  them  serve  as  vehicles  for  the  carriage  of  their  materials;  that 
these  n-publicans  never  associate  but  in  an  odil  number,  in  order  to  have 
always  a  casting  voici-  in  their  <icIiberations;  that  ea<'h  tribe  has  its  chief ; 
that  they  have  edtablishe<J  .sentinels  for  the  public  safety,"  etc. 


310  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

up  and  hauled  out,  and  some  others  would  also 
have  been  caught,  had  not  the  late  rains  raised 
the  water  about  a  foot  higher  than  it  was  when 
the  traps  were  tailed;  by  which,  the  whole  of 
their  stint  had  been  carried  away.  The  great 
beaver,  which  was  the  mother  of  the  family, 
weighed  forty-five  pounds;  measured  two  feet 
seven  inches  in  length,  from  the  tip  of  her  nose 
to  the  root  of  her  tail,  and  her  tail  was  a  foot  long 
and  six  inches  and  a  half  in  breadth.  The  beaver 
weighed  thirty-three  pounds  and  three  quarters; 
both  of  them  were  paunched  before  they  were 
brought  home. 

Wednes.,  October  8,  1783.  The  first  flight  of 
eider-ducks  went  up  the  river  this  evening.  As 
those  birds  trim  the  shore  along  in  the  flight- 
times,  great  numbers  of  flocks  go  up  this  river 
as  high  as  Friend's  Point,  and  sometimes  higher, 
but  on  finding  their  mistake,  they  commonly  re- 
turn again  along  the  opposite  side.  Some  few 
flocks  are  supposed  to  cross  the  country  to  the 
sea  again,  and  in  spring  some  have  been  seen  to 
come  down  the  river,  which  were  supposed  to 
return  the  same  way  back,  but  in  general  they 
keep  over  the  salt  water. 

Thursday,  October  9,  1783.  Mr.  Collingham 
and  four  men  nearly  finished  the  new  kitchen  by 
breakfast-time;  he  then  served  out  provisions  to 
the  two  coopers,  who  are  to  have  a  couple  of 
youngsters  with  them  and  live  this  winter  at  the 
head  of  Hinchingbrook  Bay,  to  make  tierces;  and 
also  to  one  furrier,  who  is  to  live  by  himself  about 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  311 

a  mile  from  the  coopers.  In  the  evening  they  all 
sailed  for  that  plaee  in  the  Neddy. 

Friday,  October  10, 1783.  I  sent  Edwards  to  the 
beaver-house  to  shift  the  traps  and  stay  the  night 
if  he  saw  occasion.  Mr.  Collingham  having  fin- 
ished the  new  kitchen,  we  made  a  good  fire  in  it, 
and  found  the  chimney  to  carry  smoke  very  well. 

Saturday,  October  11,  1783.  At  noon  Edwards 
returned  with  a  small  medler,  and  informed  me 
that  he  had  found  another  new  house  in  one  of 
the  ponds  above,  m  which  he  supposed  were  two 
great  medlers.  At  the  same  time,  the  people  from 
Hinchingbrook  Bay  returned  in  the  Neddy,  and 
took  back  with  them  the  remainder  of  their  things 
ill  their  skiff.  ^ly  people  are  now  all  fixed  for 
this  winter.  Besides  the  above,  and  the  five  people 
who  are  to  seal  at  Indian  Island,  Mr.  Collingham 
and  the  boy  are  to  remain  here. 

Thursday,  October  16,  1783.  The  brig  was  un- 
moored at  seven  this  morning,  and  at  nine  the 
miner  and  I  embarked.  We  got  under  sail  imme- 
diately. 

[On  the  20th  they  reached  the  Coast  of  New- 
foundland and  drove  in  a  gale  of  wind  towards 
Cape  John.] 

At  eiglit  the  wind  shifted  to  north  by  east,  and 
blew  witli  ui-eal  violence,  driving  us  toward  the 
P>air-a*']<  ;iiul  othei"  rocks.  At  noon  the  following 
day,  caittaiii  (Jaxlci-  1(»ld  me  that  we  should  be 
among  ihose  rocks  before  day-light,  if  the  gale 
held;  and  that  the  vessel  would  bear  no  more  sail, 
without  great  danger  of  upsetting.    I  replied,  *'  It 


312  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

"  is  not  now  a  time  to  consider  what  a  vessel  will 
''  do,  but  to  determine  what  she  shall  do.  For 
''  my  part,  it  is  a  matter  of  the  greatest  indiffer- 
''  ence  to  me  whether  I  am  drowned  by  being 
''  driven  on  the  rocks,  or  by  the  upsetting  of  the 
''  vessel,  but  as  the  one  seems  to  be  certain,  and 
**  the  other  is  only  a  supposition,  I  am  decidedly 
*^  for  setting  more  sail  immediately,  and  endeav- 
^'  ouring  to  get  outside  of  Funk  Island,  where  we 
"  shall  have  drift  enough.'^  He  approved  of  my 
arguments,  set  more  sail,  and  the  little  vessel 
plunged  through  the  sea  better  than  could  be  ex- 
pected. 

[On  Thursday,  October  30th,  Cartwright 
reached  Trinity  Harbour,  and  on  Thursday,  De- 
cember 18th,  he  sailed  on  the  '^  Little  Benjamin  '* 
for  Poole.  A  month  later,  on  Saturday,  January 
17,  1784,  they  ''  endeavoured  to  get  into  the  bay 
of  Biscay."] 

At  two  in  the  afternoon,  a  most  dreadful  hurri- 
cane came  on  from  the  northward,  such  as  none 
of  us  had  ever  seen,  and  wliich  beggars  all  de- 
scription, suffice  it  to  say,  that  it  was  dreadful 
and  terrible  to  the  greatest  degree.  Although 
captain  Pitman,  the  master  of  the  vessel,  had  the 
prudence  to  take  in  what  sail  he  had  out,  yet  it 
laid  the  vessel  nearly  on  her  beam  ends,  and  we 
expected  that  she  must  either  have  upset  or  lost 
her  masts.  It  lasted  three  quarters  of  an  hour, 
and  even  afterwards  blew  so  hard  till  ten  at  night, 
that  we  could  not  shew  one  rag  of  sail:  and  as  it 
had  shifted  again  to  north  north  west,  we  sup- 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  313 

posed  that  we  were  driving  upon  the  coast  of 
France,  between  Ushant  and  the  Seimes.  To  re- 
tard her  drift  somewhat,  a  cable  was  veered  out, 
which  at  ten  at  night  was  cut  away,  and  we  set 
a  reefed  foresail  and  balance-reefed  mainsail.  It 
is  easier  to  imagine  than  to  describe  the  anxiety 
of  our  minds,  expecting  every  minute,  from  ten 
o'clock  on  the  Saturday  morning  to  eight  on  Sun- 
day night,  to  discover  ragged  rocks  close  under 
our  lee,  and  soon  after  to  be  driven  upon  them 
in  a  most  violent  gale  of  wind.  We  then,  most 
devoutly,  went  to  prayers;  I  officiated  as  chap- 
lain, and  no  sooner  had  we  done,  than,  to  the  ad- 
miration and  astonishment  of  every  man  on  board, 
the  wind  became  perfectly  moderate;  it  shifted 
four  points  in  our  favour,  the  sky  cleared,  and, 
miraculous  to  relate,  the  sea  which  but  the  mo- 
ment before  ran  as  high  and  as  dangerous  as  it 
could  well  do,  in  an  instant  became  as  smooth  as 
if  we  had  shot  under  the  lee  of  Scilly  at  five  or 
six  leagues  distant!  We  could  attriliute  all  these 
things,  to  nothing  but  the  effect  of  the  immediate 
interposition  of  the  DIVINITY,  who  had  been 
graciously  pleased  to  hear  oiir  prayers,  and  grant 
oiii'  jx'titions;  and  I  hope,  I  shall  never  be  of  a 
colli I'ai'v  way  of  thinking.  After  this,  we  had 
vai'ious  weather  with  hard-hearted  winds,  which 
drove  us  to  the  westward  ol*  Tape  Clear,  so  that 
it  was  not  till  the  lil'tli  of  rcbniar.N',  at  midnight, 
tliat  we  saw  the  land;  and  at  eleven  at  night,  on 
Saturday  the  scxcntli.  we  let  go  an  anchor  in 
Studland  La}',  to  the   no  small  joy  and  satisfac- 


314  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

tion  of  every  man  on  board.  I  then  had  the  mor- 
tification to  hear,  that  the  ship,  John,  foundered 
at  sea  m  a  few  days  after  she  left  Trinity ;  conse- 
quently all  my  furs  and  whalebone  went  to  the 
bottom;  and  I  soon  after  learnt  that,  Mr.  Lester 
not  receiving  my  letter  till  after  the  above  news 
arrived  in  England,  not  one  penny  had  been  in- 
sured on  them.  Early  the  next  morning  Mr. 
Stone  and  I,  together  with  three  other  passengers 
got  into  the  pilot  boat  and  went  up  to  Poole,  where 
we  landed  safe  at  nine  o'clock.  We  immediately 
dressed  ourselves,  and  went  to  church  to  return 
God  thanks  for  the  mercies  which  we  had  so  lately 
received  at  his  hands;  and,  through  the  minister, 
offered  our  public  thanks,  also.  I  remained  at 
Mr.  Lester's  house  during  my  stay  at  Poole,  which 
was  till  the  eighteenth;  when  I  set  out  for  Lon- 
don in  the  Post  Coach,  lay  that  night  at  Alresford, 
departed  from  thence  the  next  morning  at  seven, 
and  arrived  in  London  at  five  o'clock  in  the  eve^ 
ning. 

Well  knowing  that  it  was  utterly  out  of  my 
power  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  my  creditors, 
principal  and  interest,  together  amounting  to 
upwards  of  seven  thousand  pounds,  on  my  arrival 
in  town,  I  employed  a  friend  to  make  the  follow- 
ing offers  to  them;  and  to  request  of  them  to 
choose  that  which  they  thought  would  be  most 
conducive  to  their  interest. 

1st.  I  would  give  up  to  them,  upon  oath,  every 
article  of  property  I  possessed  in  the  world,  pro- 
vided they  would  give  me  a  discharge  in  full. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  315 

2d.  If  they  would  allow  me  live  years  tree  of 
interest,  I  would  return  to  Labrador,  in  expec- 
tation of  being  able,  now  that  peace  was  restored, 
to  pay  the  whole  of  my  debts  in  that  period. 

3d.  If  neither  the  above  offers  were  satisfac- 
tory, I  requested  of  them  to  make  a  bankrupt  of 
me. 

But,  strange  as  it  appeared  to  me,  and  must  do 
so  to  others,  my  principal  creditors  absolutely  re- 
fused to  accede  to  any  of  these  proposals.  How- 
ever, Peregrine  Oust,  Esq.  to  whom  I  owed  a 
hundred  pounds,  taking  compassion  on  me,  imme- 
diately struck  the  disgraceful  Docket.^ 

During  all  these  transactions  and  imtil  I  had 
received  my  certificate,  it  was  necessary  for  me 
to  keep  close  in  my  lodgings,  where  I  amused 
myself  with  transcribing  my  journal,  and  in  wri- 
ting a  poem,  which,  bad  as  it  is,  I  will  take  the 
liberty  of  laying  before  the  public,  at  the  end  of 
my  next  voyage,  in  hopes  that  it  may  afford  some 
little  amusement:  at  the  same  time,  assuring  the 
gentle  reader  that,  if  I  am  so  fortunate  as  to  ob- 
tain his  pardon  for  this  presumption,  T  will  never 
more  be  guilty  of  the  like  offence.  Tho'  T  have 
often  slept  whole  nights  on  mountains  as  high  as 
that  of  famed  Parnassus,  yet,  never  having  taken 
a  nap  in  its  sacred  summit,  it  cannot  be  expected, 
that  I  should  have  awoke  a  Poet. 

'  To  Hirike  a  docket,  is  to  pivf  h  IioihI  to  tlif  lord  cli/inccllor,  onpuKing 
to  prov*'  thf  rlfhtor  to  \)c  a  bankrupt,  whcrfupoii  ;i  fiat  of  banlvruptcy 
ifl  issued  againHt  thf  debtor. 

END  OF  TIU:  linil   VOYAGE. 


316  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 


THE    SIXTH   VOYAGE 

April,  1785.  Although,  the  certificate  which  I 
have  received,  is  equal  to  a  receipt  in  full;  the 
very  liberal  offers  which  my  brother  John  has 
made  to  me,  are  sufficient  to  enable  me  to  live  in 
England  with  comfort;  and  the  tormenting  sci- 
atica, with  which  I  have  been  afflicted  for  these 
five  years  last  past,  renders  me  totally  unfit  to 
encounter  those  hardships  and  fatigues  which  a 
life  in  Labrador  is  subject  to;  yet,  since  I  am  con- 
vinced that  there  will  be  far  short  of  twenty  shil- 
lings in  the  pound  for  my  creditors,  when  the  final 
dividend  on  my  bankruptcy  is  made,  and  as  I  can- 
not look  upon  myself  to  be  an  honest  man,  unless 
I  pay  up  the  last  deficient  penny  whenever  it  is 
in  my  power  to  do  it;  consequently  I  feel  it  my 
duty  to  put  myself  in  the  way  of  obtaining  money 
for  that  purpose.  As  I  see  no  prospect  of  doing 
that  by  remaining  in  England,  I  have  determined 
to  return  to  Labrador  once  more,  to  try  m)^  for- 
tune upon  as  large  a  scale,  as  my  present  confined 
circumstances  will  admit  of.  My  plan  is,  to  keep 
but  few  servants,  and  to  employ  them  and  myself, 
in  killing  furs  in  the  winter,  and  in  trading  with 
the  Indians  in  the  summer. 

In  consequence  of  the  above  resolutions,  I  have, 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  317 

with  my  brother's  assistance,  for  sometime  past 
been  making  preparations  accordingly.  And  Mr. 
Nepean,  nnder  Secretary'  of  State  to  Lord  Sydney, 
having  prevailed  on  me  to  take  some  of  the  con- 
victs, who  are  nnder  sentence  of  transportation 
for  seven  years,  I  went  to  Newgate  and  pitched 
npon  Alexander  Thompson,  William  Litchfield, 
John  Keshan,  and  Thomas  Connor;  the  first 
twenty-two,  the  second  seventeen,  and  the  other 
tw^o  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  gave  in  their  names 
to  ]\rr.  Nepean. 

[On  Friday,  April  29,  1785,  in  the  brigantine 
Snsan,  ]\loses  Cheater  master,  and  a  ship's  com- 
pany of  thirty-nine  sonls,  Cartwright  sailed  from 
Studland  Bay  for  Newfoundland.] 

Fridajf,  Mai)  27,  1785.  At  ten  this  morning 
[near  the  Newfoundland  Coast]  observing  several 
birds  very  busy  about  something  in  the  w^ater, 
the  small  boat  was  hoisted  out,  and  it  proved  to 
be  a  large  squid,^  w^hich  measured  seven  feet,  ex- 
clusive of  the  head,  w^hich  broke  off  in  hoisting  it 
in;  when  gutted,  the  body  filled  a  pork  barrel, 
and  the  whole  of  it  would  have  filled  a  tierce.  Al- 
though such  of  these  fish  as  come  near  the  land, 
and  are  generally  seen,  seldom  exceed  six  or  eight 
inches;  yet  I  am  told,  that  they  grow  to  a  most 
enormous  size;  even  to  that  of  a  large  whale. 
They  are  also  called  the  ink-fish,  from  emitting  a 
black  liquor  when  piirsiicrl  by  other  fish.  They 
are  caught  in  great  numbers  in  ibe  harbours  of 
Newfoundland;    and   nmltitudes  I'un   on   slioi'o  at 

'  ArchtlKulhw,  Hpocies? 


318  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

high  water,  where  they  are  left  by  the  tide,  espe- 
cially if  a  lire  be  made  on  the  beach.  The}^  are 
used  in  Newfoundland  for  baits  to  catch  codfish, 
and  are  excellent  for  that  purpose.  I  have  eaten 
them,  but  the  taste  is  not  pleasant,  being  very 
sweet;  perhaps  plenty  of  pepper  and  salt  might 
make  them  better,  but  I  had  none  at  the  time. 

[On  Tuesday,  June  14,  Cartwright  sailed  in  the 
shallop  Fox  for  Isthmus  Bay,  Labrador.] 

Tuesday,  July  5,  1785.  This  morning  I  had 
my  boat  moved  nearer  to  the  Lyon,  [a  British 
armed  brig  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Michael 
Lane,  who  was  employed  to  survey  Newfound- 
land and  the  points  adjacent]  and  Ave  spent  the 
day  on  board  that  vessel.  A  boat  came  in  from 
Funk  Island  laden  with  birds,  chiefly  penguins. 

Funk  Island  is  a  small  flat  island-rock,  about 
twenty  leagues  east  of  the  island  of  Fogo,  in  the 
latitude  of  50°  north.  Innumerable  flocks  of  sea- 
fowl  breed  upon  it  every  summer,  which  are  of 
great  service  to  the  poor  inhabitants  of  Fogo; 
who  make  voyages  there  to  load  with  birds  and 
eggs.  When  the  water  is  smooth,  they  make  their 
shallops  fast  to  the  shore,  lay  their  gang-boards 
from  the  gunwale  of  the  boat  to  the  rocks,  and 
then  drive  as  many  penguins  on  board,  as  she  will 
hold;  for  the  wings  of  those  birds  being  remark- 
ably short,  they  cannot  fly.  But  it  has  been  cus- 
tomary of  late  years,  for  several  crews  of  men  to 
live  all  the  summer  on  that  island,  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  killing  birds  for  the  sake  of  their 
feathers,  the  destruction  which  they  have  made  is 


LABRADOR   JOURNxVL  319 

iucredible.  If  a  stop  is  not  soon  put  to  that  prac- 
tice, the  whole  breed  will  be  diminished  to  ahnost 
nothing,  particuh\rl\  the  penguins:  for  this  is 
now  the  onh^  island  they  have  left  to  breed  upon; 
all  others  lying  so  near  to  the  shores  of  Newfound- 
land they  are  continually  robbed.  The  birds 
which  the  people  bring  from  thence,  they  salt  and 
eat,  in  lieu  of  salted  pork.  It  is  a  very  extraordi- 
nary thing  (yet  a  certain  fact)  that  the  Red,  or 
AVild  Indians,  of  Newfoundland  should  every  year 
visit  that  island;  for,  it  is  not  to  be  seen  from  the 
Fogo  hills,  they  have  no  knowledge  of  the  com- 
pass, nor  even  had  any  intercourse  with  an}^  other 
nation,  to  be  infoiTned  of  its  situation.  How  they 
came  by  their  information,  will  most  likely  re- 
main a  secret  among  themselves. 

Thursday,  July  21,  1785.  At  half  after  five  in 
the  evening,  came  to  an  anchor  in  the  harbour  of 
Quirpon,  which  is  the  northernmost  one  in  New- 
foundland, and  formed  by  a  large,  high  island, 
which  gives  name  to  the  harbour;  the  north-east 
point  of  which,  is  called  Cape  Quirpon,  is  the 
north-east  extremity  of  Newfoundland,  and  is  in 
sight  of  T..abrador.  Here  we  found  several  French 
ships,  and  were  well  received  by  captain  Guidelou, 
who  commanded  the  Monsieur  privateer  in  the 
last  war,  during  her  first  cruise;  when,  in  the 
space  of  four  months,  he  took  twenty-eight  prizes 
on  the  coasts  of  Fnc:lnnd  and  Ireland.  For  which 
services,  he  was  honorod  with  a  sword,  and  a  let- 
ter of  thanks  from  his  kin^-.  He  is  much  of  a  gen- 
tleman,   speaks    English    tolerably    well,    hnvinc: 


320  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

formerly  been  a  prisoner  in  England;  he  has  a 
great  respect  for  our  nation,  and  takes  every  op- 
portunity of  rendering  services  to  the  English  in 
this  part  of  the  world.  He  is  a  proprietor  of  the 
greatest  French  house  in  the  Newfoundland  trade, 
and  has  the  direction  of  all  their  concerns  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic.  Here  also,  and  in  almost 
every  harbour  between  this  place  and  Conch,  the 
fishery  has  been  good:  but  in  those  within  the 
Straights  of  Bell  Isle,  and  Gulph  of  St.  Lawrence 
it  has  failed  greatly. 

Tuesday,  August  2,  1785.  Mrs.  CoUingham  and 
I  dined  on  board  the  Echo  with  captain  Nichols, 
[at  Temple  Bay]  and  we  all  went  on  shore  at 
Lance  Cove,  and  drank  tea  with  Mr.  William 
Pinson;  who  is  agent  to  Noble  and  Pinson,  and 
son  of  the  latter.  Two  families  of  Esquimaux, 
part  of  some  who  lived  last  winter  at  the  Isle 
of  Ponds,  are  now  here,  but  no  others  have 
been  seen  hereabouts  this  summer.  Two  men  of 
that  nation  were  shot  last  year  at  Cape  Charles, 
by  two  others  (Tukelavinia  and  Adlucock)  for 
the  sake  of  their  wives,  which  is  the  reason  that 
the  rest  did  not  come  as  usual.  At  Ance-a-Loup 
and  parts  adjacent,  the  fishery  has  been  pretty 
successful.    I  saw  one  flock  of  curlews. 

Thursday,  August  11,  1785.  At  six  this  morn- 
ing we  came  to  sail;  at  half  past  four,  doubled 
Cape  North;  and  at  seven,  came  to  an  anchor  in 
Isthmus  Bay,  opposite  the  house  which  I  built 
immediately  after  the  privateer  left  me  in  the 
year  1778:    and  in  which  I  lived,  that  winter.    I 


LABR.VDOR    JOURN^VL  321 

had  the  pR'asuiv  to  liiid  it  uiioci-upiod,  and  in  as 
good  condition  as  possible.  I  immediately  took 
possession  of  it;  intending  to  make  it  m\'  resi- 
dence in  fntnre. 

Monday,  September  5,  1785.  In  the  evening  I 
placed  a  hare-net  across  this  end  of  Slink  Point, 
and  had  it  beat  by  two  <»f  the  boys  and  three  dogs, 
but  found  nothing.  At  noon,  a  shallop  belonging 
to  Xoble  and  Pinson,  arrived  here  from  Table 
Bay,  and  brought  part  of  my  provisions  from  Bat- 
tle Harbour.  Mr.  William  Dier,  late  master  of 
the  Mary,  came  in  this  boat,  and  brought  some 
people  to  complete  the  winter  crews  at  Paradise, 
where  he  is  to  be  superintendent,  and  as  soon  as 
he  had  landed  my  goods,  he  sailed  for  that  place, 
^ly  late  i)ossessions  in  Sandwich  Bay,  together 
wilh  what  goods  remained  there,  were  sold  last 
winter,  by  my  assignees,  to  Noble  and  Pinson; 
for  the  paltry  sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds:  whereas,  the  goods  alone  were  valued  at 
two  hundred  and  eighty  pounds;  and  I  had  in- 
formed my  assignees,  that  the  fishing-posts  and 
the  buildings  thereon,  were  well  worth  a  thousand 
pounds.  Bnt  ^li'.  Rol)ert  Hunter,*  merchant  in 
London,  who  is  llie  acting  assignee,  does  a  great 
deal  (»f  l)usiness  l)y  commission,  for  Noble  and 
Pinson;  theref(U'e  it  is  no  wondci-,  thai  my  ])rop- 
erty  was  sold  by  j>rivate  contract  1o  those  |)eople; 
rathci-  Ili.MTi  by  public  nnction  at  Poole;  as  T  de- 
sired it  Miiulit  Itc.  I  nius1  confess,  that  I  caimot 
lirlp  t'('('Iin^•  L!i'catly  linrt.  tlial  Noble  and  l*insoii, 
wliM   lia\'e  been   ni\'   ill\'e1<Tat e   enemies  e\('r  since 


322  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

I  first  came  to  this  country,  sliould  get,  for  less 
than  nothing,  possessions  which  cost  me  so  much 
labour,  to  find  out,  and  money  to  establish.  Had 
they  given  a  fair  price  for  them,  I  should  have 
been  contented,  and  my  creditors  would  not  have 
been  injured. 

Thursday,  Septem})er  8,  1785.  At  eight  o'clock 
at  night,  a  man  arrived  with  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Collingham,  informing  me,  that  Mr.  Dier  had 
forcibly  seized  upon  all  his  whalebone,  oil,  and 
furs,  together  with  what  belonged  to  my  as- 
signees and  myself,  and  sent  the  w^hole  to  Mr. 
William  Pinson,  at  Temple  Bay.  Mr.  Collingham 
requested  me  to  go  immediately  to  Paradise  in  my 
boat,  to  bring  himself,  his  wdfe  and  baggage  away 
from  thence,  as  he  had  no  other  chance  of  getting 
from  that  place,  nor  any  means  of  living  at  it. 

Monday,  September  12,  1783.  At  one  o'clock 
this  morning  the  Fox  brought  Mr.  Collingham 
and  his  wife,  and  also  his  baggage:  likewise  all 
the  remainder  of  those  goods  w^hich  formerly  be- 
longed to  me,  and  had  either  by  accident  or  mis- 
take not  been  mentioned  in  the  inventory;  Mr. 
Collingham  having  put  them  up  to  auction,  and 
bought  them  himself  for  sixty-two  pounds  ten 
shillings.  This  day  Mr.  Collingham  and  I  agreed 
to  enter  into  partnership  for  so  long  a  time  as 
should  be  hereafter  determined  upon. 

Wednes.,  September  14,  1785.  At  two  o'clock 
this  morning  Mr.  Collingham  sailed  for  Temple 
Bay  in  the  Fox,  with  Tilsed,  Will,  and  Jack,  to 
demand,  from  Mr.  William  Pinson,  restitution  for 


I.AP>RAI)OK^    .JOURNAL  323 

the  stolen  goods,  and.  in  ease  of  refusal  to  proceed 
to  England  to  lay  the  case  before  His  Majesty's 
ministers,  and  also  to  endeavour  b}^  law  to  obtain 
redress. 

Wediics.,  September  28,  1785.  At  five  in  the 
CA-ening,  ^Ir.  Collingham  returned  in  our  ])oat, 
and  another  of  Noble  and  Pinson's  came  along 
with  him,  with  four  hands  to  winter  at  Paradise. 
These  boats  brought  the  remainder  of  my  provi- 
sions, all  the  pine  boards,  and  the  goods  from  In- 
dian Island.  Mr.  Collingham  informed  me,  that 
Mr.  William  Pinson  had  restored  the  goods  which 
Dier  robbed  him  of,  and  that  he  had  shi^iped  them 
on  freight  in  the  Mary,  commanded  by  Mr.  Pin- 
son  himself,  and  had  consigned  them  to  our  friend 
Benjamin  Lester,  Esq.,  at  Poole.  lie  also  said, 
that  he  saw  a  brig  and  a  shallop  among  the  Seal 
Islands,  which  belonged  to  an  adventurer  from 
Quebec;  who  was  going  in  the  shallop  to  winter 
in  Ivucktoke  Bay,  and  intended  leaving  the  brig 
with  a  crew  of  hands  to  winter  where  they  were, 
and  to  fish  for  seals. 

Safindn/f,  Drreniher  10,  178.5.  01)serving  that 
William  and  Alexander  still  persisted  in  their  old 
trieks  (if  being  as  idle  as  possible,  I  i'e(|uested  Mr. 
rollingliani  to  give  each  of  them  a  severe  beating 
with  a  rope's  end,  which  he  executed  in  a  mas- 
tci'ly  ni;inii('i',  Sori-y  am  I  1o  obsei've,  tlmi  all  the 
Cniii-  (-(tnx'ids  arc  so  inloIcr.-iMy  idle,  tli;i1  nolhing 
l)u1  s('\'erity,  can  in(lu<'e  them  t<i  do  llicii-  work  as 
they  ou;rhf.  flejille  ni(';ins  b.-nc  liiilicrlo  Ix^en 
used  in  \ain;   and  now  we  are  <letermined  to  try 


324  CAPTAIN   CAHTWRIGHT'S 


the  effect  of  strict  discipline.  Not  having  been 
conversant  with  people  of  their  description,  I  did 
not  reflect  that  idleness  was  the  root  from  whence 
their  villainies  sprung;  and  that  of  course,  sever- 
ity only  could  extirpate  it.  Alexander  and  Jack 
are  such  old  offenders,  and  so  thoroughly  aban- 
doned in  their  principles,  that  I  am  fully  of 
opinion,  they  will  both  be  hanged,  if  they  live  to 
return  to  England;  and  I  think  it  not  improbable, 
that  we  shall  some  day  or  other  be  obliged  to  shoot 
them  in  our  own  defence ;  for  they  have  more  than 
once  threatened  the  lives  of  our  other  servants, 
and  may  probably  hereafter  attempt  to  destroy 
their  masters.  Mr.  Collingham  shot  a  brace  of 
grouse  on  the  hill  above  the  house. 

A  clear,  severe  day,  with  drift  on  the  barrens. 

Monday,  December  19,  1785.  Between  eight 
and  nine  this  morning  a  brace  of  deer  were  per- 
ceived crossing  the  harbour  to  the  eastward;  and 
after  breakfast  Mr.  Collingham  followed  them. 
From  the  top  of  Mount  Martin  he  discovered  nine 
others,  feeding  near  Gready's  Tilt;  and  in  going 
towards  them,  he  met  with  a  hind  and  calf,  near 
the  brook  of  South-east  Cove,  which  seeing  him, 
joined  the  herd;  when  they  all  went  off  upon 
the  ice,  and  walked  to  the  lower  end  of  Curlew 
Harbour,  where  they  lay  down.  He  stalked  up 
within  a  hundred  and  seventy  yards  behind  a 
large  umbrella  of  white  dimity;  at  which  they 
took  fright,  and  starting  up,  ran  nearly  as  much 
farther,  and  then  stood  to  look  at  it:  he  at  that 
time  made  ready  to  fire,  but  his  gun  going  off 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  325 

accidentally,  blew  a  hole  tliroiigli  the  umbrella. 
Tilsed  was  planing  boards,  and  the  rest  of  the 
people  were  sawdng  and  cleaving  firewood. 

SiDidau,  December  25,  1783.  At  noon  ten  deer 
crossed  the  harbour  from  Martin's  Cove,  and  land- 
ing in  that  opposite  the  house,  went  upon  the 
High  Barrens.  This  being  Christmas-day,  wx^ 
gave  the  people  roasted  venison  for  dinner,  and 
had  for  ourselves  a  mountain  hare,  an  excellent 
venison  pasty,  and  a  beriy  pie;  we  afterwards 
finished  the  remaining  three  bottles  of  porter. 

Monday,  January  2,  1786.  Rein-deer  have 
many  peculiarities,  in  which  they  differ  from  all 
other  kinds  of  deer;  especially  respecting  their 
horns.  That  the  females  have  them  as  well  as 
the  males,  I  have  noticed  in  former  parts  of  my 
Journal;  but  till  now,  I  never  knew^  that  they  were 
so  irregular  in  mewing  them.  I  have  seen  stags 
with  their  horns  on  the  eighth  of  ]\Iarch;  I  killed 
one  the  fifth  of  April,  wdiicli  had  mewed  a  little 
time  before;  yet  not  only  this  deer,  but  also  all 
the  other  nine  which  were  wdth  him,  had  mewled 
about  the  same  time;  for  the  i)arts  wvyq  not  well 
skinned  over.  One  of  those  wdiich  T  saw^  on  the 
twenty-third  ult.  was  an  old  stag  which  had 
mewed;  but  as  I  had  no  idea,  that  they  did  so  be- 
fore April,  T  thought  that  he  naturally  had  not 
had  any  horns,  from  the  circumstance  of  that  hind 
having  but  one,  which  we  caught  in  a  sli))  on  the 
eighth  of  Novenibci-.  XotwithstMiidiuLi-  llinl  llie 
male  (leer  iiicw  so  ii-i-cLiiiI.irly,  yd  1licy  ;ill  burnish 
in    August.      My    [km. pic,    \\\u)    lived    on    Indian 


326  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

Island  two  years  ago,  told  me,  that  the  stags 
mewed  at  this  time  of  the  year,  but  I  gave  no 
credit  to  them  for  the  reasons  which  I  have  men- 
tioned; also,  from  seeing  a  three  or  four  years-old 
male  deer  with  his  horns  on,  in  the  month  of  May, 
1772.  I  have  also  reason  to  believe,  that  neither 
male  nor  female  rein-deer  ever  burnish  their  first 
horns,  which  appear  at  a  year  old;  as  I  never  saw 
one  which  had  done  so. 

Friday,  February  3,  1786.  At  ten  this  morning, 
Mr.  Collingham  went  over  to  the  Capeland,  and 
took  Tilsed,  Crane,  William,  Alexander  and  Tom 
with  him;  also  two  Newfoundland  dogs  and  the 
greyhound.  He  met  with  some  deer  in  the  vale 
beyond  Burnt  Knap,  and  surrounded  them;  but 
they  escaped  without  anybody  getting  a  shot  at 
them.  The  weather  then  proving  bad,  he  called 
the  people  away,  joined  Tilsed,  and  came  home: 
the  others  followed,  and  were  not  far  behind  when 
he  saw  them  last.  Tliese  two  returned  at  four 
o'clock;  but  as  none  of  the  other  four,  nor  the 
dogs  are  arrived,  I  am  greatly  alarmed  for  their 
safety,  as  they  must  have  lost  themselves,  and 
there  is  no  shelter  on  all  that  ground.  Tilsed  shot 
a  brace  of  ptarmigans  near  the  house. 

Saturday,  February  4,  1786.  At  half  after  nine 
this  morning,  Mr.  Collingham  went  off  for  Table 
Hill,  and  Tilsed  for  Mount  Martin,  to  look  for  our 
lost  people.  At  eleven  o'clock,  William  and  Tom 
returned  almost  speechless;  and  so  cold,  as  scarcely 
to  have  any  perceptible  warmth  about  their  bod- 
ies; their  clothes  were  barricaded  with  ice  in  such 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  327 

a  manner,  that  I  was  obliged  to  cut  them  off;  and 
upon  the  whole,  thev  were  shocking  spectacles.  I 
immediately  put  them  to  bed,  and  gave  them  some 
warm  tea,  with  a  little  soft  bread  and  butter;  an 
hour  after  I  gave  them  a  cup  of  warm,  strong 
grog;  and  some  time  after  that,  a  basin  of  venison 
broth.  Fortunately,  the  night  being  mild,  they 
were  not  frost-burnt,  except  Tom,  slightly,  at  the 
end  of  one  of  his  great  toes;  but  that  I  did  not 
regard.  At  one  o'clock,  Crane  returned;  his 
clothes  were  covered  with  ice,  and  he  was  slightly 
burnt  about  his  hams,  which  were  bare  by  his 
stockings  slipping  down;  but  he  was  not  near  so 
much  tired  nor  cold,  as  the  others.  At  two  o'clock 
Mr.  Collingham  returned  with  information  that 
he  found  Alexander  on  North  Harbour,  asleep 
upon  the  ice;  that  he  knew  him,  and  spoke  once; 
and  with  his  assistance  was  able  to  walk  a  few 
yards;  when  his  leg  failing,  he  and  Tilsed  carried 
him  on  shore,  laid  him  in  the  sun  TUider  some 
buslies,  and  covered  him  with  ]:>art  of  their  own 
clothes;  but  that  he  died  immediately  after. 

Alexander  Thompson  formerly  lielonged  to  that 
gang  of  fi'csli-watcr  pirates,  wlio  committed  so 
many  depredations  ii|)oii  tlic  i-ivci*  Tliames,  and 
was  a  most  desperate  and  Imrdcued  villain.  He 
fn'<|ur'iit ly  i-ccountcH  flic  Aai'ious  robberies  in 
wliicli  lie  had  been  concci'iKMl,  and  always  con- 
cluded will)  c.\|ii-cssin<::  a  dclci'niincd  I'esolution 
to  retui'n  to  liis  fnrnicj-  coui'se  of  life  if  ever  he 
saw  En^^land  atz^ain.  As  he  talked  of  murdering 
a  man  on  the  slightest  provocation,  with  as  little 


328  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

concern  as  lie  would  of  killing  a  dog;  it  seems  as 
if  Providence  had  cut  him  off  in  this  shocking 
manner,  to  prevent  the  mischiefs  which  he  other- 
wise would  have  committed;  and  had  miracu- 
lously preserved  the  other  two  for  the  work  of 
reformation:  indeed  they  are  by  much  the  best 
of  the  four;  their  greatest  fault  being  idleness. 

Thursday,  March  16,  1786.  Finding  that  we 
have  now  a  hundred  and  forty-four  pieces  of  veni- 
son left,  we  determined  that  no  other  meat  shall 
be  dressed  whilst  any  of  it  remains;  as  by  that 
time,  we  may  expect  mild  weather  to  set  in.  Our 
servants  have  had  venison  four  days  a  week  until 
yesterday  se'nnight,  since  which  time  they  have 
had  it  every  day;  but  we  have  had  it  every  day 
all  the  winter  through. 

Friday,  June  30,  1786.  When  Mr.  CoUingham 
was  at  the  Indian  settlement,  they  showed  him  a 
small  island  in  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  and  near  to 
the  north  shore  of  it,  on  which  a  most  tragical 
scene  happened  about  fifty  years  ago.  A  number 
of  Esquimaux  were  then  encamped  upon  it,  when 
a  dispute  arose  between  two  young  men,  about  the 
wife  of  one  of  them,  with  whom  the  other  was 
in  love,  and  insisted  upon  having  her  from  him. 
High  words  ensued;  the  respective  friends  of  the 
two  men  took  part  with  them,  and  not  being  able 
to  settle  the  matter  amicably,  they  at  length  had 
recourse  to  their  bows:  their  arrows  flew  swiftly 
until  all  were  expended;  they  then  attacked  each 
other  with  their  knives.  Neither  age  nor  sex  were 
spared  in  this  civil  dissension.    The  feeble  grand- 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  329 

sii'e,  the  tender  mother,  and  the  infant  at  her 
breast  fell  alike  undistinguished  victims  of  frantic 
rage  and  migoverned  fur}'.  Two  men  only,  and 
they  of  oi^posite  parties,  survived  the  bloody  con- 
test: when  each,  surveying  the  dreadful  carnage 
that  every  w^here  surrounded  him,  and  struck  with 
the  thought  of  what  would  become  of  himself,  if 
lie  killed  his  antagonist,  agreed  to  desist. 

Tlmrsday,  July  13,  1786.  Early  this  morning 
Mr,  Collingham  delivered  me  a  letter  which  he 
had  received  from  Noble  and  Pinson,  brought  by 
the  ^lary,  in  which  they  infonued  him,  that  my 
assignees  had  attached  all  the  goods  which  he 
sent  to  England  last  year,  for  the  benefit  of  them- 
selves (Noble  and  Pinson)  and  likewise  falsely 
accusing  both  ]\rr.  Collingham  and  myself  of  em- 
bezzling part  of  my  late  estate.  From  this  intel- 
ligence I  instantly  determined  to  return  to  Eng- 
land, to  confute  their  villainies,  and  recover  the 
goods. 

Wedues.,  July  19,  1786.  Eketcheak,  one  of  the 
Indian  men,  last  Avinter  married  a  second  wife;  a 
young  girl  about  sixteen  A^ears  of  age:  T  took  a 
fancy  to  hei",  and  desired  that  he  would  spare  her 
for  me,  as  I  had  no  wife,  and  was  in  great  want 
of  one.  lie  replied,  ''  You  are  very  welcome  to 
"  her,  but  T  am  afraid  she  will  not  ]ilease  you,  as 
"  her  temper  is  vei'v  l)ad,  and  she  is  so  idle,  tliat 
"  she  will  do  ii(»  \\(trk;  nor  e,*m  she  use  a  needle: 
*'  but  my  othe]'  wife  is  Ihe  best  temjiered  ci-eature 
"  in  the  world;  an  exeelleiit  sem))stress,  is  indus- 
"  try  itself,  and  she  has  two  children;  all  of  wdiicli 


330  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

'^  are  much  at  your  service;  or,  if  you  please, 
''  you  shall  have  them  both;  and,  when  I  return 
**  next  year,  if  you  do  not  like  either  one  or  the 
*^  other,  I  will  take  them  back  again."  I  thanked 
him  for  his  extreme  politeness  and  generosity,  and 
told  him,  that  I  could  not  think  of  depriving  him 
of  his  good  wife  and  two  children,  but  would  be 
contented  with  the  bad  one.  "  You  shall  have 
^'  her,"  said  he,  ''  but  before  we  proceed  any  far- 
**  ther  in  this  business,  I  wish  you  would  mention 
^*  it  to  her  relations,  and  obtain  their  consent." 
Her  father  being  dead,  I  sent  for  her  mother  and 
two  uncles,  who  readily  gave  their  consent,  and 
expressed  great  pleasure  at  the  honor  of  the  alli- 
ance. I  then  communicated  my  wishes  to  the 
young  lady,  but  she  no  sooner  understood  wdiat 
they  were,  than  she  began  to  knit  her  brows,  and 
the  instant  I  had  concluded  my  speech,  in  which 
I  expatiated  on  the  pleasure,  elegance,  and  afflu- 
ence which  she  would  experience  as  my  Avife,  to 
what  she  enjoyed  in  her  present  state,  she  con- 
temptuously replied,  "  you  are  an  old  fellow,  and 
^*  I  will  have  nothing  to  say  to  you."  So  there 
ended  my  courtship;  and  how  polite  soever  any 
future  refusal  may  be,  yet  I  must  understand  the 
literal  meaning  to  be,  as  above  expressed. 

Friday,  July  21,  1786.  A  number  of  the  Esqui- 
maux are  ill  of  most  violent  colds,  which  they  are 
very  subject  to;  it  carries  off  great  numbers  of 
them.     The  disorder^  being  infectious  Mr.  Col- 

*  Influenza  or  la  grippe  is  at.  the  present  daj^  a  very  serious  and  fatal 
disease  among  the  Labrador  Eskimos. 


LABRADOR    elOURNAL  331 

liiigham  lias  gut  it  also  which  he  tells  me  is 
uot  the  first  time,  having  caught  it  of  them  for- 
merly. 

Wednes.,  July  26, 1786.  Last  night  about  twelve 
o'clock,  the  moschetos  being  very  troublesome, 
^fr.  CuUingham  got  up  and  made  such  a  smoke  in 
the  kitchen,  as  in  a  short  time  filled  every  part 
of  the  house:  fortunately  I  awoke  just  in  time  to 
save  our  lives:  Mrs.  Oollingham  being  quite  over- 
come with  it,  was  carried  out  of  bed  into  the  open 
air  in  a  lifeless  state;  all  the  rest  of  us  were 
obliged  to  jump  out  of  our  beds,  and  run  naked 
out  of  doors;  where  we  were  forced  to  remain 
above  an  hour,  before  the  smoke  was  sufficiently 
cleared  away  for  us  to  be  able  to  endure  it. 

[On  Sunday,  July  30,  1786,  Oapt.  Cartwright 
sailed  in  the  Fox  for  Temj^le  Bay  which  he 
reached  on  August  10th.  Here  he  re-embarked  in 
the  Merlin  Sloop  of  War,  Capt.  Edward  Packen- 
ham,  and  sailed  for  St.  John's,  Newfoundland. 
This  i)ort  was  not  reached  until  October  2nd  as 
ihc  whole  western  and  southern  coasts  of  New- 
foundland were  leisurely  skirted.] 

Tursrhi/f,  Ortohrr  S,  1786.  '  After  breakfast  I 
brought  most  of  my  baggage  on  shore,  and  took 
my  leave  of  ca])taiii  Packeiiham  and  his  officers; 
1li<'  l;it1ci-  1  sli;ill  ;ilways  i-ciiiciiibci'  willi  jileasure, 
t'nr  tlicii-  cixilily  lo  me:  Inil  ;is  1(»  llic  roniicr,  T 
can  iiol  say  Ihat  my  ()I)ligati(»ns  to  Iiiiii.  ai'c  any 
great  btirtlicn  1n  nic  Mr.  j»(»iilli'  lonl^  ni<'  with 
liiiii   In    Mr.   ()u(l<'ii's   llic  sni'^('<ui   of   llie   island, 

'  Richanl  Ivoutli.  C'ollccUjr  of  flic  (.'ii.-torns  at  S(.  .lohn'H. 


332  CAPTAIN   CAHTWRIGHT'S 

where  we  sat  down,  a  party  of  ten,  to  a  very  gen- 
teel dinner;  after  which  we  played  at  cards  and 
supped. 

This  was  a  delightful  day. 

Wednes.,  Octoher  4,  1786.  I  waited  on  His  Ex- 
cellency John  Elliot  esquire,  the  Govemour  of 
Newfoundland,  to  whom  I  was  introduced  by  Mr. 
Routh;  he  invited  us  both  to  dine  with  him  on 
the  morrow.  I  dined  to-day  in  company  with 
some  of  the  officers  and  young  gentlemen  of  the 
Merlin  at  the  London  Tavern. 

I  dined  with  the  Governor  on  the  fifth,  and  all 
the  rest  of  my  time  while  I  remained  here  was 
most  agreeably  spent;  as  I  met  with  the  greatest 
civilities  from  all  the  principal  people  (many  of 
whom  I  was  formerly  acquainted  with,  when  I 
was  here  in  the  Guernsey  Man  of  War  in  the  years 
1766  and  1768)  dining  and  spending  the  evening 
in  private  families  every  day.  The  two  last  days 
I  spent  on  board  the  Echo  Sloop  of  War;  the  first 
with  the  officers;  the  second  with  captain  Reyn- 
olds, who  appears  to  be  in  every  sense  of  the  word, 
a  Gentleman;  and,  in  my  opinion,  nothing  can  be 
a  stronger  proof  of' it,  than  the  universal  terms  of 
attachment  and  approbation  in  which  his  officers 
constantly  spoke  of  him. 

General  Benedict  Arnold  (who  lately  came  here 
from  New  Brunswick  in  a  cutter  of  his  own)  and 
I  having  hired  the  cabin  of  the  brig  John,  belong- 
ing to  Tinmouth,  John  Bartlet  owner  and  master, 
embarked  on  board  of  that  vessel  at  two  o'clock 
this  afternoon;  as  did  likewise  the  general's  serv- 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  333 


ant,  and  a  hundred  and  eleven  discharged  fisher- 
men, exchisive  of  the  ship's  compan}^,  consisting 
of  ten  men;  making  in  the  whole  a  hundred  and 
twenty-four.  We  laid  in  for  our  own  use,  two 
live  sheep,  several  head  of  poultry,  plenty  of  veg- 
etables, and  good  store  of  every  other  article 
which  we  thought  requisite  for  our  passage  to 
England.  Nothing  material  happened,  till  Sun- 
day the  twenty  second,  when  a  hard  gale  of  wind 
came  on;  however,  we  bore  the  violence  of  it  tol- 
erably well  till  ten  o'clock  the  next  night,  when 
our  boltsprit  was  carried  awa}^  This  was  soon 
followed  with  the  loss  of  the  fore-mast,  and  main- 
mast; the  tiller  went  next;  two  of  the  deadlights 
were  beat  out;  the  tafrael  carried  away;  some 
casks  of  water,  coals,  and  in  short  everything 
washed  off  the  ciuarter-deck;  our  sheep  were 
drowned  in  the  long-boat;  and  our  poultry,  to- 
gether with  all  our  vegetables,  except  the  pota- 
toes which  were  in  the  cabin,  were  washed  over- 
board. The  wreck  of  the  bolt-sprit  and  fore-mast, 
by  the  lee  rigging  not  being  cut,  still  hung  to  us; 
and,  the  vessel  being  forced  over  them,  they  kept 
beating  under  the  bottom  for  seven  hours:  when, 
by  the  spirited  exertions  of  the  mate,  they  were 
cut  awa3\  Never  did  I  experience  such  a  night; 
the  sea  ran  incredil)ly  high;  it  blew  most  tremen- 
dously; we  expected,  that  the  sea  would  have  beat 
the  vessel  to  jiicccs,  niul  feared  every  instant,  that 
she  would  be  bulged  by  the  wreck,  and  sink  with 
US.  At  length  day-light  came,  but  it  still  con- 
tinued to  blow  so  hard,  that  nothing  more  could 


334  CAPTAIN    C ARTWRIGIHT 'S 

be  done,  than  to  set  up  a  top-gallant-mast  abaft, 
lash  it  to  the  timber-heads,  and  hoist  a  stay-sail 
to  it,  to  keep  the  vessel  some  Avhat  steadier.  We 
were  then  but  four  hundred  and  ninety  five  miles 
from  St.  John's;  and,  as  we  judged  it  impossible 
to  get  back  there,  by  reason  of  the  prevalence  of 
the  westerly  winds,  we  determined  on  proceeding 
towards  England;  we  also  intended  to  quit  the 
vessel,  if  we  should  be  so  fortunate  as  to  fall  in 
with  any  other,  which  would  take  us  on  board. 
The  day  following  we  began  to  get  up  jury-masts, 
but  it  was  five  days  before  we  completed  that  busi- 
ness, and  were  very  badly  rigged  at  last,  having 
only  the  main  boom  for  a  fore-mast;  a  top-mast 
for  a  main-mast;  with  a  pole  of  firewood  on  it  for 
a  top-mast,  and  a  top-gallant-mast  abaft,  to  keep 
her  nearer  to  the  wind.  Some  days  after,  we 
made  a  short  mast  of  planks,  and  steped  it 
through  a  hole  cut  in  the  quarter-deck,  by  way  of 
a  mizzen-mast.  Our  sails  were  very  few,  and 
those  both  old  and  bad;  nor  had  we  any  to  replace 
them,  in  case  they  gave  out.  We  examined  the 
quantity  of  water  and  provisions,  and  went  to 
an  allowance  of  three  half  pints  for  each  passen- 
ger, and  double  that  quantity  for  the  ship's  com- 
pany. But  twelve  days  after,  we  reduced  the  pas- 
sengers to  a  pint  of  water,  and  the  ship 's  company 
to  a  quart.  We  had  scarcely  any  remission  for  hard 
gales  of  wind,  from  south-east  to  south  south-west, 
for  five  weeks,  which  drove  us  into  the  latitude 
of  56°— 15'  north,  which  is  quite  out  of  the  track 
of  all  shipping,  nor  could  we  fetch  any  land  as. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  335 

the  wind  then  was,  except  leehind  or  (ireenhmd; 
and  those  countries  were  locked  up  in  frost  and 
darkness.  At  last,  to  our  no  small  joy,  on  Mon- 
day the  twenty  seventh  of  November,  it  pleased 
God  to  send  us  a  line  north-west  wind,  which  con- 
tinued fair  for  us  during  the  rest  of  the  voyage. 
On  Thursday  the  thirtieth  we  struck  soundings 
in  sixty-five  fathoms  of  water,  between  Cape 
Clear  and  Scilly;  and  there  saw  a  dismasted,  and 
abandoned  vessel.  We  sent  our  boat  on  board 
her,  but  got  only  a  few  kegs  of  water;  her  provi- 
sions and  sails  having  been  all  taken  out.  She 
was  the  Hopewell  from  Newfoundland,  laden  with 
dry  fish,  and  belonged  to  Poole.  Our  allowance 
of  water  was  doubled  to-day;  the  next  day,  it  was 
encreased  to  three  pints;  and  we  saw  another 
vessel  upon  a  wind  far  to  leeward.  On  Saturday 
the  second  of  December,  we  saw  several  vessels 
ahead,  and  one  on  our  starboard  quarter  which 
<-anie  ujj  with,  and  spoke  us;  she  w^as  a  small 
schooner  from  Twillingate,  in  Newfoundland,  to 
Poole;  had  been  out  twent}"  four  days,  and  had 
met  with  no  other,  than  westerly  and  north-west 
winds.  She  })elonged  to  Mr.  Hezekiah  Guy,  who 
was  formerly  a  servant  of  mine,  and  was  com- 
manded by  a  bi-(>llier  (A'  liis.  T  desired  him  to 
make  a  i-epoi-t  of  ]iie,  (tii  liis  ai'i'iwil  at  Poole.  At 
thi-ee  o'cl(»r-k  ill  tlie  afternoon,  we  had  the  ])leas- 
ure  to  get  sight  of  tlie  land,  from  the  Ijandsend 
to  the  Tiiz/ard.  'I'hc  wind  \cei*ed  southei'ly  in  the 
nighl,  and  blew  liard;  and  at  day  break  we  had 
the  mortification  in  find  a  nci-v  lliick  fog,  aecom- 


336  CAPTAIN    CAETWRIGHT'S 

paniecl  by  a  heavy  gale  of  wind  dead  on  the  shore ; 
Imt  at  nine  o'clock,  judging  that  we  were  abreast 
of  the  start;  a  full  council  was  called,  to  deter- 
mine what  we  should  do,  when  every  man  except 
general  Arnold,  unanimously  concluded,  that  it 
would  be  better  to  put  before  the  wind  and  make 
the  land  at  all  events,  than  to  keep  the  sea  in  our 
crippled  state,  as  we  did  not  think  it  possible  to 
clear  Portland;  in  which  case,  w^e  must  run  on 
shore  in  the  night.  Having  made  our  election,  we 
bore  away;  and  never  did  I  see  so  much  anxiety 
in  the  countenances  of  men,  as  appeared  in  every 
one  on  board;  for  every  minute  we  expected  to 
see  a  rocky  shore  not  far  distant,  and  most  likely 
to  run  upon  it.  At  two  in  the  afternoon  the  fog 
cleared  away,  and  we  then  got  sight  of  Berry 
Head,  with  Tor  Bay  right  a  head.  A  frantic  joy 
now  pervaded  every  one,  almost  to  madness,  and 
continued  for  near  an  hour;  by  which  time,  we 
had  four  fishing-boats  from  Brixham  along-side, 
and  in  a  short  time,  all  the  passengers,  except 
general  Arnold  and  his  servant,  got  into  them 
and  went  on  shore;  leaving  the  vessel  safe  at  an 
anchor  in  Babicam  Bay.  At  six  o'clock  I  landed 
at  Brixham,  and  regaled  myself  on  a  luxurious 
and  plentiful  dish  of  beef-steakes;  which  was  the 
first  good  meal  I  had  made,  since  the  commence- 
ment of  our  misfortunes.  Here  I  learned  that 
great  numbers  of  vessels,  particularly  Newfound- 
landers, had  been  lost,  and  others  greatly  dam- 
aged in  the  late  gales;  one  belonging  to  this  port, 
got  in  here  this  morning,  a  greater  wreck  than 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  337 

we  were;  having  lost  her  inasts  and  nine  men; 
all  ot*  whom  were  washed  overboard,  when  her 
masts  were  carried  away. 

I  remained  at  Brixham  till  Tuesday  the  fifth, 
when  I  hired  a  single-horse  ehaii',  (no  chaise  being 
to  be  had)  and  went  to  Tinmouth;  where  1  found 
the  John  safe  arrived,  and  a  Newfoundland  ves- 
sel, which  attempted  to  come  in  on  Sunday  night, 
on  shore  upon  the  beach  at  the  mouth  of  the  har- 
bour. On  Wednesday  I  got  my  baggage  on  shore, 
and  was  informed  by  the  mate,  that,  at  such  times 
as  I  was  upon  deck  general  Arnold  through  the 
medium  of  his  servant,  had  stolen  most  of  the 
wine,  which  belonged  to  us  both,  and  had  sold  it 
to  the  sailors  for  water;  which  he  kept  for  his 
own  use.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  facts  were  these; 
on  examining  the  lockers,  only  one  bottle  of  wine 
was  left,  although  there  ought  to  have  been  more; 
and  there  were  nine  bottles  of  water,  not  one  drop 
of  which  I  knew  of.  A  few  days  after  we  were 
reduced  to  a  pint  of  water,  the  general's  servant 
offered  to  purchase  fiom  the  sailors,  two  bottles 
for  me;  the  price  of  which  was  to  be  a  dollar  in 
money;  I  readily  consented  to  give  that  ])rice, 
and  one  bottle  was  delivered  the  next  day;  but 
I  could  never  get  the  other  until  Friday  last,  when 
I  had  no  occasion  for  it;  and  as  T  had,  for  a 
long  lime  past,  observed  llic  general  io  bavo 
great  al»iiii(l;ince  of  watci-,  llicrc  is  xci-y  great 
reason  to  believe  tlie  male's  i'<'|»(»i't  !<»  b<'  a  true 
one. 

On  the  sevenlli  I  went  in  a  eluiise  to  Exeter,  and 


338  CAPTAIN   CABTWMGHT'S 

on  the  eighth  took  a  passage  hi  the  mail  coach  to 
Blandford;  from  whence  I  went  that  night  to 
Poole  in  a  chaise,  and  arrived  at  Mr.  Lester's 
house  at  eight  o'clock.  He  had  heard  of  me  from 
Mr.  Guy,  but,  the  letter  which  I  wrote  to  him  from 
Brixham  having  not  yet  appeared,  he  had  con- 
cluded that  we  were  cast  away  on  Sunday  last, 
and  that  all  hands  had  perished.  I  continued  at 
Poole  till  the  sixteenth,  when  I  went  to  Wim- 
bourn;  the  next  evening  I  set  out  for  London  in 
the  Poole  mail  coach,  and  arrived  there  at  nine 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  eighteenth. 

Soon  after  my  arrival  in  London,  I  made  appli- 
cation to  my  assignees  for  restitution  of  the  goods 
which  they  had  attached;  jet  although  I  very 
clearly  convinced  them,  that  they  were  the  prop- 
erty of  Mr.  Collingham  and  myself,  and  had  been 
honestly  obtained,  and  that  Noble  and  Pinson 
could  not  possibly  have  any  claim  on  them,  they 
refused  to  restore  them.  I  threatened  them  with 
law;  and  they  proposed  arbitration;  to  which  I 
consented.  But  they  afterwards  found  a  pretence 
for  refusing  to  sign  the  bonds,  which  forced  me 
to  assign  my  part  (only  one  hogshead  of  oil)  to 
Mr.  Collingham,  and  then,  as  his  agent,  to  serve 
William  Pinson  with  a  copy  of  a  writ.  My  as- 
signees defended  the  action;  they  put  the  trial 
off  twice,  and  attempted  to  do  it  a  third  time ;  but 
I  frustrated  their  intentions ;  and  when  the  cause 
came  to  a  hearing,  the  great  Erskine  ^  himself  was 
obliged  to  declare  that  he  had  not  a  word  to  say 

*  Baron  Erskine,  1750  to  1823,  famous  jurist  and  forensic  orator. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  339 

in  dcfeiK-e  of  his  clii'iit.  In  conscqueiiee  of  wliicli, 
Mr.  Collingiiam  obtained  a  verdict  for  full  dam- 
ages and  costs  of  suit,  a  circumstance  not  to  the 
honour  of  those  who  endeavoured  to  deprive  him 
of  his  property.  I  was,  however,  above  two  hun- 
dred pounds  out  of  pocket,  by  the  expences  which 
I  had  been  at:  yet,  as  I  had  obtained  a  perfect 
cure  of  my  sciatica  and  had  prevented  my  partner 
from  ])eing*  shamefully  wronged,  I  thought  the 
money  had  been  w^ell  applied. 

Perhaps  it  may  not  be  displeasing  to  the  reader, 
if  I  here  attempt  a  short  Natural  History  of  the 
country,  and  add  such  remarks  as  my  very  con- 
fined abilities  have  enabled  me  to  make. 

Labrador  is  a  large  peninsula,  joined  at  the 
isthmus  to  Canada,  which,  together  with  Hud- 
son's Bay,  bounds  it  on  the  west;  on  the  north 
are  Hudson's  Straits;  the  Atlantic  Ocean  on  the 
east;  and  the  Straits  of  Bell  Isle,  and  the  Gulph 
of  St.  Laurence  on  the  south. 

The  face  of  the  whole  country,  at  least  all  those 
parts  we  are  at  present  acquainted  with,  are  very 
hilly:  and  in  most  parts  mountainous.  The  south 
coast  has  great  appearance  of  fertility  from  the 
sea,  hut  a  close  inspection  discovers  the  soil  to 
be  poor,  and  the  vei-dure  to  consist  only  of  coarse 
plants,  which  are  well  adapted  to  the  support  and 
nourishment  of  deer  and  goats,  but  do  not  appear 
])iT)per  for  horses,  kine,  or  sheep.  There  is  no 
doubt  but  cultivation  would  pi-oduce  good  grass 
of  different  kinds,  and  Hint  urazing  farms  might 
be  established;   they  would  however,  be  attended 


340  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

with  too  much  trouble  and  expence  to  have  them 
on  a  large  scale;  as  it  would  be  difficult  to  fence 
against  the  white-bears  and  wolves,  and  all  kinds 
of  cattle  must  be  housed  for  nine  months  in  the 
year.  Corn  might  possibly  be  raised  about  the 
heads  of  the  deepest  bays,  and  in  the  interior 
parts  of  the  country;  but  the  few  experiments 
which  I  made  in  my  gardens  failed  of  success; 
for  the  ears  were  singed  by  the  frost  before  the 
grain  ripened. 

All  the  east  coast,  as  far  as  I  went  and  by  what 
I  could  learn  from  the  Esquimaux,  exhibits  a  most 
barren  and  iron-bound  appearance;  the  moun- 
tains rise  suddenly  out  of  the  sea,  and  are  com- 
posed of  a  mass  of  rocks,  but  thinly  covered  in 
spots  with  black  peat  earth;  on  which  grow  some 
stunted  spruces,  empetrum  nigrum,  and  a  few 
other  plants,  but  not  sufficient  to  give  them  the 
appearance  of  fertility;  such  lands  therefore  are 
always  denominated  Barrens. 

As  some  compensation  for  the  poverty  of  the 
soil,  the  sea,  rivers,  and  lakes  abound  in  fish,  fowl, 
and  amphibious  creatures.  No  country  is  better 
furnished  with  large,  convenient,  and  safe  har- 
bours, or  supplied  with  better  water;  for  rivers, 
brooks,  lakes,  pools,  and  ponds  are  every  where 
to  be  met  with  in  great  abundance.  And  I  cannot 
help  observing  here,  that  the  swelled  throats  ^ 
which  the  inhabitants  of  many  Alpine  countries 
are  subject  to,  are  occasioned  by  the  mineral  par- 
ticles which  the  waters  imbibe  in  their  passage 

1  Goitre. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  341 

down  eertaiu  hills,  and  not  to  the  effect  of  snow- 
water, since  no  such  complaints  are  to  be  found 
in  Labrador,  where  genuine  springs  are  so  scarce, 
that  I  may  venture  to  affinn,  nineteen  parts  out 
of  twenty  of  the  w^aters  in  that  countr^^  are  the 
product  of  the  winter  snows. 

All  along  the  face  of  the  east  coast,  and  within 
the  manj^  capacious  bays  which  indent  it,  are 
thousands  of  islands  of  various  sizes,  on  which 
innumerable  nniltitudes  of  eidcn^-ducks,  and  other 
w^ater-fowl  breed;  the  very  smallest  are  not  with- 
out their  inhabitants,  if  the  spray  of  the  sea  does 
not  fly  entirely  over  them;  and  the  larger  ones 
have  generally  deer,  foxes,  and  hares  upon  them: 
the  former  will  swim  out  to  them,  to  get  clear  of 
the  w^olves  which  infest  the  continent;  but  the 
two  latter  go  out  upon  the  ice,  and  are  left  upon 
them  w^hen  it  breaks  up  in  the  spring. 

All  those  kinds  of  fish  which  are  found  in  the 
Artie  seas,  abound  on  this  coast;  and  the  rivers 
are  frequented  l)y  great  abundance  of  salmon,  and 
various  sorts  of  sea-trout;  pike,  barbel/  eels,^ 
river-trout,  and  some  few^  other  kinds  of  fresh- 
water fish  are  also  found  in  them. 

Alth(jugh,  in  sailing  along  this  coast,  the  aston- 
ished marine)-  is  insensil)ly  drawn  into  a  conclu- 
sion, that  this  country  was  the  last  wliidi  (Jod 
made,  and  th;it  lie  liad  no  otlici-  vi<'W  than  to  throw 
together  llici-c,  liic  refuse  of  liis  maierials,  as  of 

'  Th»'  Fiiropc-iin  hnrhol  is  not  native  (o  Ainr-rir-a.     CiU-twriRht  possibly 
rrfciN  to  u  HiKkfT  or  to  n  liorrifd  pout. 
*  Anguilla  chri/xypa. 


342  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

no  use  to  mankind,  yet,  he  no  sooner  penetrates 
a  few  miles  into  a  bay,  than  the  great  change,  both 
of  the  climate  and  prospects,  alter  his  opinion. 
The  air  then  becomes  soft  and  warm;  bare  rocks 
no  longer  appear;  the  land  is  thick  clothed  with 
timber,  which  reaches  down  almost  to  high-water 
mark,  and  is  generaUy  edged  with  grass.  Few 
stout  trees  are  to  be  met  with,  until  you  have 
advanced  a  considerable  distance  and  have  shut 
the  sea  out;  for  the  sea  air,  most  certainly  has  a 
very  pernicious  effect  upon  the  growth  of  timber, 
as  well  as  on  many  other  things.  The  best  timber, 
is  generally  found  near  the  head  of  the  tide,  and 
by  the  sides  of  brooks.  My  business  requiring  a 
great  deal  of  all  sorts,  and  a  multitude  of  rinds, 
it  became  necessary  for  me,  in  all  my  ranges 
through  the  woods,  to  keep  a  very  sharp  look-out 
for  whatever  might  be  of  use;  which  naturally 
led  me  to  make  observations,  on  the  inclination 
and  course  of  nature,  in  the  propagation  and 
growth  of  timber. 

Whether  it  be  owing  to  the  climate,  or  to  the 
soil  of  this  country,  I  will  not  take  upon  me  to 
say,  but  the  fact  is,  that  nature  is  disposed  to 
clothe  the  ground  with  spruces  and  firs;  inter- 
mixing a  few  larches,^  birch,  and  aspens  spar- 
ingly, along  the  edges  of  those  woods  which  grow 
adjoining  to  the  shores  of  the  bays,  rivers,  brooks, 
and  ponds;  where  only,  they  arrive  at  any  degree 
of  perfection.  Although  abundance  of  larches 
will  grow  upon  the  sides  of  the  barren  hills  along 

•  Larix  laridna. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  343 

the  sea-coast,  yet  I  uever  saw  one,  in  sueli  situa- 
tions, which  was  of  any  value.  If,  through  the 
carelessness  of  those  w^ho  make  tires  in  the  woods 
or  by  lightning,  the  old  spruce  woods  are  burnt 
down,  Lidian-tea  is  generally  the  first  thing  which 
comes  up;  currants  follow  next,  and  after  them, 
birch.  As  the  plants  of  birch  commonly  spring 
up  within  three  or  four  feet  of  each  other,  they 
are  soon  drawn  up,  and  make  most  excellent 
hoops;  about  which  time,  the  spruces  and  firs  will 
be  sprung  up  among  them,  to  the  height  of  two, 
three,  or  four  feet,  when  the  Indian-tea  and  cur- 
rants will  be  nearly  killed.  The  birches  having 
now  locked  their  heads  so  close  that  the  sun  can- 
not penetrate  through  the  foliage  and  requiring 
more  nourishment  than  the  ground  is  able  to  give 
to  each  plant,  they  begin  to  shew  consumptive 
symptoms,  by  the  under  branches  dying;  and  as 
some  few  of  the  stronger  ones  rob  those  which  are 
weaker,  the  latter  decay  altogether,  and  what  re- 
main grow  to  pretty  stout  trees:  yet  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  find  one  of  them  sound,  by  their  not 
being  thinned  in  proper  time,  so  as  to  admit  the 
genial  rays  of  the  sun,  and  a  free  circulation  of 
air,  to  invigorate  and  fertilize  the  earth;  and  to 
allow  each  plant  a  sufficient  portion  of  land  for 
its  support.  At  length  the  spruces  and  firs  over-i 
top,  and  kill  the  ])i relics;  and,  when  it  so  happens 
that  the}'  do  not  stand  too  thick  and  the  soil  suits 
them,  they  will  arrive  at  a  great  size;  particularly 
the  white-spruce.  Wiere  there  is  a  jjoverty  of 
soil,  and  they  grow  close  together,  they  are  black, 


344  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

crabbed,  and  mossy;  consequently  of  no  value: 
but  where  the  soil  is  pretty  good,  if  they  stand 
too  thick,  yet  they  run  clear  and  tall,  and  attain 
substance  sufficient  for  shallop 's-oars,  skiff 's-oars, 
stage-beams,  rafters,  longers,  and  other  purposes, 
for  which  length  is  principally  required.  Had  not 
nature  disposed  them  to  shoot  their  roots  hori- 
zontally, the  adventurers  in  that  country  would 
have  found  a  great  difficulty  in  building  vessels 
of  any  kind  for  it  is  from  the  root,  with  part  of 
the  trunk  of  the  tree;  that  most  of  the  timbers 
are  cut;  and  no  others  will  supply  proper  stems, 
and  other  particular  timbers. 

When  a  fire  happens  on  a  peat  soil,  at  the  end 
of  a  very  dry  summer,  the  whole  of  it  is  burnt 
away  to  a  great  depth ;  and  will  not  only,  produce 
no  good  timber  again,  but  also,  is  both  dangerous 
and  troublesome  to  walk  over;  for  great  numbers 
of  large  stones  and  rocks,  are  then  left  exposed 
on  the  surface,  and  the  Indian-tea,  currants,  &c. 
which  grow  between,  often  prevent  their  being 
discovered  in  time  to  avoid  a  bad  fall:  but  if  the 
fire  happens  early  in  the  summer,  or  when  the 
ground  is  wet,  the  soil  takes  no  damage.  The 
burnt  woods  are  also  very  bad  to  walk  through, 
until  the  trees  are  felled  and  pretty  well  gone  to 
decay;  but  in  how  many  years  that  will  be,  I  had 
no  opportunity  to  observe ;  I  know  it  is  not  a  few, 
and  that  it  depends  on  particular  circumstances. 

Wlien  the  woods  are  left  to  nature,  the  growth 
of  the  timber  is  very  slow,  for  I  seldom  saw  even 
a  young  tree,  which  sent  forth  an  annual  shoot 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  345 

above  six  inches  in  length;  in  general  it  was  only 
one.  Whereas,  1  always  observed  them  to  grow 
from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  in  a  year,  wher- 
ever all  the  old  trees  had  been  felled,  and  the 
3'oung  ones  were  left  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  each  other;  they  also  looked  mnch  more 
healthy  and  beautifnl;  which  full}^  proves  how^ 
absolutely  necessary  the  sun,  air,  and  a  sufficient 
space  of  ground  are  to  the  growth  of  good  timber. 
Labrador  produces  but  seven  sorts  of  trees  ^ 
which  are  worthy  of  that  appellation:  viz.  black, 
white,  and  red  spruce,  larch,  silver  fir,  birch  and 
aspen;  at  least,  if  there  be  any  others,  they  must 
grow  on  the  confines  of  Canada.  Those  next  in 
size,  are  willow,  mountain  ash,-  and  cherry;"^  the 
two  former  grow  up  in  many  stems,  as  if  from  old 
stools,  and  I  never  saw^  one  thicker  than  a  good 
hedge-stake;  but  the  latter  is  a  single  standard, 
and  I  believe  very  scarce;  for  I  met  wdth  them 
by  the  side  of  one  hill  only,  wdiere  they  stood  in 
good  plenty,  and  were  about  seven  or  eight  feet 
high,  but  not  more  than  three  inches  in  circum- 
ference; the  fiuil  was  smjdl,  tasteless,  and  nearly 
all  stone.  The  rest  are  mere  shrubs;  they  are  the 
airier,    osipr."    docr-berrv,    baked-pears/'    juniper,*' 

'  .Mo«t  of  fho  |)I;int.s  anrl  anim.-ils  pivon  in  thi.s  n'viow  of  Cartwripht'fl 
havp  alrcaHy  hrcn  rncntionfH,  and  may  be  found  by  rofcrrinn  to  the 
index. 

*  PyruH  nmiTirnrift  and  /'.  silrhensw. 

*  Prunrm  pennxylvdnirn. 

*  A   hiktIps  of  willow,  Salix,  or  rod-osier,  CornuK  slolnnifern. 

'  Tfie  nhiul  bush,  Amelanchier  rnnaflennit  var.  oligocnrpa,  is  sometimes 
calh*'!  Indian  pear  and  may  poRsibly  be  intenderl. 

'  Juniperus  communis  var.  dcpreisaa  and  J.  horizontalui. 


346  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

currants,  raspberries,  with  a  few  others,  and  I 
once,  if  not  twice,  saw  a  small  gooseberry-bush. 
The  fruits  consist  of  various  kinds  of  berries, 
viz.  currants,  raspberries,  partridge-berries,  em- 
petrum  nigrum,  baked-apples,  baked-pears,  whor- 
tle-berries  of  two  sorts,  cranberries,^  and  a  small 
berry  which  grows  in  a  gravelly  or  sandy  soil, 
the  plant  of  which  resembles  that  of  the  straw- 
berry, each  producing  but  a  single  fruit,  which  is 
of  a  bright  pink  colour,  granulated  like  a  mul- 
berry, and  has  a  delicious  flavour;  but  they  are 
scarce  on  those  parts  of  the  east  coast  which  I  was 
upon,  for  I  met  with  them  on  a  few  spots  only  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Sandwich  Bay,  but  at  L'ance 
a  Loup  they  were  more  abundant;  and  there  also, 
I  saw  tolerable  plenty  of  scarlet  strawberries  ^ 
which  were  the  only  ones  I  ever  observed  in  that 
country. 

As  to  plants,  since  I  am  no  botanist,  I  shall  beg 
leave  to  say  no  more  of  them,  than  that  I  believe 
there  is  no  very  great  variety,  and  but  few,  if  any, 
which  are  not  to  be  met  with,  in  other  northern 
countries. 

The  only  vegetables  which  I  found  fit  to  eat, 
were  alexander  (or  wild  celery),  fathen,^  scurvy- 
grass,'*  the  young  leaves  of  the  osier,  and  of  the 
ground- whortleberry;  Indian  sallad,  red-docks,^ 
and  an  alpine  plant,  which  the  rein-deer  are  very 

*  Mountain  cranberrj',  Vaccinium  Vitis-Tdaea  var.  minus. 

2  Fraqaria  virfiiniana. 

^  Fathcn,  pigweed  or  goosefoot.     Chenopodium,  species? 

^  Scurvy  grass,  a  cress,  Cochlearia,  species? 

^  Rumex,  species? 


LABRADOR   JOURNxVL  347 

fond  of.  Fatlieii,  however  is  no  where  to  be  met 
with,  but  where  the  ground  has  been  dug. 

The  soil  is  mostly  of  a  light  kind,  yet  clay  is 
conmion  to  be  met  with  in  most  harbours,  and  in 
the  beds  of  rivers,  below  high-water  mark;  though 
I  met  with  a  spot  of  strong,  l)hie  clay  by  the  side 
of  Hooppole  Cove  in  St.  Lewis's  Bay,  on  which 
grew  good  birch  and  other  trees. 

That  the  mountains  in  Labrador  contain  some 
kinds  of  ores,  I  make  no  doubt;  but  none  have 
yet  been  discovered,  except  that  of  iron  which  I 
believe  is  in  great  plenty,  since  iron-stone  is  very 
common  along  most  of  the  shores;  and  I  met  with 
several  small  springs,  w^hich  had  a  weak  chalyb- 
eate taste,  and  tinged  the  groimd  red.  Nor  is 
there  any  great  chance  of  ores  being  found,  unless 
it  should  appear  to  the  day,  by  the  side  of  some 
cliff;  most  of  which  founder  more  or  less  every 
spring,  by  the  crevices  in  the  rocks  filling  with  the 
drainage  of  the  earth,  and  by  the  expansive  power 
of  the  frost  acting  like  so  many  w^edges  all  the 
winter;  in  consequence  of  which  many  tons  of 
rocks  fall  down  as  soon  as  the  ice  is  thawed. 
White  spar  is  very  common;  and  several  samples 
of  that  beautiful  one  called  Labrador  spar,^  has 
been  picked  up  by  the  Esquimaux,  of  which  there 
is  one  large  piece  in  the  Levorian  Museum:  but 
.have  not  yet  been  able  to  learn,  that  any  but  de- 
tached pieces,  have  been  met  with;  all  of  which 
were  picked  up  u[)on  the  land-wash. 

The  birds  of  that  country,  T  presume,  are  com- 

'  Or  Labradorite,  a  lime-soda  feldHpar. 


348  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

mon  to  most  of  those  which  border  upon  the  arc- 
tic circle,  they  are  the  white-tailed  eagle,  falcons, 
hawks,  and  owls  of  various  kinds;  raven,  white- 
grouse,  ptarmigan,  sprucegame,  whistling-curlew, 
grey-plover,  various  kinds  of  sandpipers,  and 
other  waders;  geese,  ducks  of  various  sorts, 
shags,  gulls,  divers  of  various  sorts,  swallows, 
martins,  some  few  species  of  small  birds,  snipes, 
and  doves;  but  the  two  last  are  very  scarce,  for 
I  do  not  recollect  ever  seeing  more  than  five  snipes 
and  two  doves.  It  is  rather  singular,  that  nothing 
of  the  heron  ^  kind  ever  visit  that  country,  since 
the  fresh-waters  are  so  abundantly  stocked  with 
trout,  and  I  have  seen  bitterns  in  Newfoundland. 

Tlie  beasts  are  bears  both  white  and  black  (of 
the  latter  I  am  told,  there  are  two  kinds,  one  of 
which  have  a  white  ring  round  their  necks,  and 
the  Esquimaux  say,  "  They  are  very  ferocious,'* 
but  I  never  saw  one  of  them,  or  even  a  skin)  rein- 
deer, wolves,  wolverines,  foxes  of  various  kinds, 
viz.,  black,  silver,  cross,  yellow,  white,  and  blue; 
martens,  lynxes,  otters,  mink,^  beavers,  mus- 
quash, racoons,^  hares,  rabbits,  and  moles.^  There 
may  be  other  kinds,  but  they  did  not  come  within 
my  observation. 

The  native  inhabitants  are  two  distinct  nations 
of  Indians;  Mountaineers  and  Esquimaux.  The 
Mountaineers  are  tall,  thin,  and  excellent  walk- 

^  Several  different  species  of  herons  including  the  bittern,   Botaurus 
lentiginosus,  have  occasionally  been  found  on  the  southern  coast. 
2  Putorius  vison. 

'  The  racoon,  Proajon  lotor,  is  unknown  in  Labrador. 
*  Star-nosed  mole,  Condylura  crislata. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  349 

ers;  their  colour  greatly  resembles  that  of  our 
gypsies;  probably  occasioned,  by  their  being  con- 
stantly exposed  to  the  weather  and  smokey  whig- 
whams.  In  features  they  bear  a  strong  resem- 
blance to  the  French,  which  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at,  since  they  have  had  an  intercourse  with  the 
Canadians  for  so  many  years,  but  there  are  few, 
I  believe,  who  have  not  some  French  blood  in 
them.  These  people  inhabit  the  interior  parts  of 
the  country,  which  they  traverse  by  the  assistance 
of  canoes,  covered  with  birch-rinds,  in  the  sum- 
mer; and  of  rackets,  or  snow-shoes,  in  the  winter. 
Their  weapons  are  guns  and  bows;  the  latter  are 
used  only  to  kill  moor-game,  but  their  chief  de- 
pendence is  on  the  gun,  and  they  are  excellent 
marksmen;  particularly  with  single  ball.  They 
are  wonderfully  clever  at  killing  deer,  otherwise 
they  would  starve;  and  when  they  are  in  a  part 
of  the  country,  in  the  winter  time,  where  deer  are 
scarce,  they  will  follow  a  herd  by  the  slot,  day 
and  night,  until  thoy  tire  them  quite  down;  when 
they  are  sure  to  kill  them  all.  T  must  not  be  un- 
derstood literally,  that  they  take  no  rest  all  that 
time,  for,  if  the  night  is  light  enough,  they  rest 
only  four  or  five  hours,  thou  pursue  again;  which 
space  of  time,  being  too  short  foi-  the  deer  to  ob- 
tain either  food  or  rest,  they  are  commonly  jaded 
out  by  the  fourth  day.  The  Lidians  paunch  and 
leave  them,  then  go  back  to  theii-  families,  return 
immediately  with  bag  and  ])nggage,  and  remain 
there  until  they  have  ealen  Ihcm  all;  when,  if 
they  have  not  provided  another  su])ply  elsewhere. 


350  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

they  look  out  a  fresh.  But  when  deer  are  plenti- 
ful, they  are  quickly  provided  with  food  without 
much  trouble,  for,  as  two  or  three  families  usually 
go  together  in  the  winter  time,  some  post  them- 
selves to  leeward  of  the  herd,  while  others  go  to 
windward,  and  drive  them  down;  by  which  means, 
it  seldom  happens  that  they  all  escape.  When 
they  have  good  success  among  the  deer,  they  also 
kill  most  furs;  for  then^  they  have  leisure  to 
build,  and  attend  to  deathfalls,  in  which  they  kill 
foxes  and  martens.  Porcupine  hunting  is  an  em- 
ployment assigned  to  the  women,  and  is  a  good 
resource,  where  there  are  strong,  fir  woods. 

Beavers  they  can  do  nothing  at  in  the  winter, 
on  account  of  the  frost,  but  they  kill  numbers  of 
them  in  the  spring  and  autumn;  and  even  all  the 
summer  through:  but  one  good  English  furrier 
will  kill  more  than  four  Indians,  where  those  ani- 
mals are  numerous.  They  kill  beavers  by  watch- 
ing for,  and  shooting  them;  or,  by  staking  their 
houses;  the  method  of  doing  which,  I  will  endeav- 
our to  explain:  If  the  pond,  where  the  beaver 
house  is,  be  not  capable  of  being  drawn  dry,  they 
cut  a  hole  through  the  roof  of  the  house  into  the 
lodging,  to  discover  the  angles;  they  then  run 
stakes  through  at  the  edge  of  the  water,  where 
the  house  is  always  soft,  parallel  to  each  other, 
across  each  angle,  and  so  near  together  that  no 
beaver  can  pass  between.  The  stakes  being  all 
fitted  in  their  places,  they  draw  them  up  to  permit 
the  beavers  to  return  into  the  house,  (the  hole  on 
the  top  being  covered  up  so  close  as  not  to  admit 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  361 

any  light)  aud  then  hunt  with  their  dogs,  back- 
wards and  forward  round  the  edges  of  the  pond, 
to  discover  where  they  have  hid  themselves  under 
the  hollow  banks;  taking  especial  care,  not  to  go 
near  the  house,  until  they  can  lind  them  no  longer 
any  where  else.  They  then  approach  it  very  cau- 
tiously, replace  the  stakes  with  the  utmost  expe- 
dition, throw  the  covering  off  the  hole,  and  kill 
them  with  spears  made  for  the  pui'pose.  When 
they  have  a  canoe,  they  wall  drive  the  pond  in  the 
manner  already  described,  without  disturbing  the 
house;  and,  when  they  suppose  the  beavers  are 
all  in,  they  place  a  strong  net  round  it;  then  ma- 
king an  opening,  they  kill  them  as  they  strike  out 
of  the  house.  They  will  also  place  a  net  across 
a  contraction  in  the  pond,  where  there  ha^^pens 
to  be  one,  and  kill  them  there,  in  the  course  of 
driving.  But,  as  it  is  seldom  that  the  whole  crew 
or  family  are  killed  by  these  means,  hermit  bea- 
vers are  always  observed  to  be  most  numerous  in 
those  parts  of  the  country  which  are  frequented 
by  Indians.  The  Mountaineers  arc  also  very  dex- 
terous in  imitating  the  call  of  every  bird  and 
beast,  by  which  they  decoy  them  close  to  their 
lurking-places.  And  as  the  destruction  of  ani- 
mals is  their  whole  study,  there  is  not  one,  whose 
nature  and  haunts  they  are  not  perfectly  well 
acquainted  with:  insomuch,  that  one  man  will 
maintain  himself,  a  wife,  and  five  or  six  children 
in  greater  plenty,  and  with  a  more  regular  sui)j>ly 
than  any  Euro])ean  eould  support  himself  singly, 
ainiouuli  lie  were  a  Ixttci'  sh(jt. 


352  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

As  these  people  never  stay  long  in  a  place,  con- 
sequently they  never  build  houses,  but  live  the 
year  round  in  miserable  whigwhams;  the  cover- 
ings of  which,  are  deer-skins  and  birch  rinds: 
the  skins  which  they  use  for  this  purpose,  as  well 
as  for  clothes;  are  tainted,  to  take  off  the  hair, 
then  washed  in  a  lather  of  brains  and  water,  and 
afterwards  dried  and  well  rubbed:  but  for  winter 
use,  they  will  also  have  jackets  of  beaver,  or  deer- 
skins, with  the  hair  on.  As  to  the  morals  of  these 
people,  I  cannot  speak  much  in  praise  of  them, 
for  they  are  greatly  addicted  to  drunkenness  and 
theft.  They  profess  the  Roman  Religion;  but 
know  no  more  of  it,  than  merely  to  repeat  a  prayer 
or  two,  count  their  beads,  and  see  a  priest  when- 
ever they  go  to  Quebec. 

The  Esquimaux  being  a  detachment  from  the 
Greenlanders,  or  those  from  them,^  any  attempt 
of  mine  to  describe  them,  would  be  impertinent; 
since  that  has  already  been  done  by  much  abler 
pens.  I  will  therefore  content  myself  with  say- 
ing, they  are  the  best  tempered  people  I  ever  met 
with,  and  most  docile :  nor  is  there  a  nation  under 
the  sun,  with  which  I  would  sooner  trust  my  per- 
son and  property;  although,  till  within  these  few 
years,  they  were  never  known  to  have  any  inter- 
course with  Europeans,  without  committing  theft 
or  murder,  and  generally  both. 

The  Climate  is  remarkably  healthy,  as  an  at- 

1  Both  of  these  views  are  still  under  discussion.  The  Eskimos  are  of 
the  same  linguistic  stock  and  have  very  similar  habits  from  Greenland 
to  Behring  Sea. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  353 

tentive  reader  must  observe  in  perusing  my  jour- 
nal. The  winters  are  veiy  long  and  severe,  but 
the  cold  is  of  a  pleasant  kind;  never  causing  a 
person  to  shiver,  as  it  does  in  England;  neither 
could  I  ever  observe,  that  the  sudden,  and  great 
transitions  which  are  so  often  experienced,  had 
any  bad  effect  on  the  constitution;  nor  do  I  know 
of  one  endemical  complaint.  Agues  I  never  heard 
of,  although  Physicians  tell  us,  "  They  are  caused, 
by  stagnate  waters  and  too  much  wood,"  both  of 
which  there  are  in  the  greatest  abundance  there.^ 
A  few  miles  from  the  sea,  the  weather,  in  the  sum- 
mer time,  is  quite  warm,  and  the  air  has  a  remark- 
able softness  in  it;  but  the  multitude  of  mosche- 
tos  and  sand-flies  are  intolerable  grievances.  On 
the  sea  coast,  the  air  is  much  cooler,  and  it  is  very 
raw  and  cold  indeed,  when  the  wind  comes  in 
from  the  ocean;  occasioned  by  the  prodigious 
quantities  of  ice  so  immediately  contiguous  to  the 
coast,  whereby  the  water  itself  is  always  in  a 
chilled  state.  Were  it  not  for  the  immense  quan- 
tity of  fresh  water,  which  is  continually  running 
into  the  sea  from  the  rivers,  brooks,  and  drainage 
of  the  land,  caused  by  the  melting  of  the  incred- 
ible quantity  of  snow  which  falls  in  the  course  of 
the  winter,  that  coast  would  lon^  since  have  been 
inaccessible  to  ships;  for  the  summers  are  neither 
long,  nor  hot  enough  to  dissolve  the  ice;  whereas, 
these  waters  raise  the  surface  of  the  sea  so  much 
higher  than  that  wliidi  li<'s  iicai-cr  to  the  equinoc- 

'  Although    rnosquiUjftH    abound,   malarial-bearing   Anopheles    do   not 
occur. 


354  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

tial  line,  that  they  occasion  a  constant  current  to 
the  southward ;  by  which  means  the  ice  is  dragged 
along  into  a  warmer  climate,  where  it  is  dissolved. 
The  immense  islands  of  ice,^  which  are  daily 
to  be  seen  near  the  coast  of  Labrador,  can  be 
formed  in  the  following  manner  only.  The  sea 
in  the  extreme  north,  is  of  such  a  depth,  that  nav- 
igators have  often  not  been  able  to  Ifind  the  bot- 
tom with  a  line  of  an  hundred  fathoms,  even  close 
to  the  shore;  the  land  is  very  high,  and  many 
parts  of  the  shore  are  perpendicular  cliffs;  the 
face  of  the  coast  being  greatly  broken,  numbers  of 
bays  and  coves  are  formed  thereby :  and  those  are 
defended  from  any  swell  rolling  into  them  from  the 
sea,  by  the  prodigious  quantity  of  flat,  low  ice, 
which  almost  continuously  covers  that  part  of  the 
ocean,  and  which,  it  may  be  presumed,  prevents 
those  bays  and  covers  from  breaking  up  for  one, 
two,  or  more  years  together.  The  severe  frost  of 
one  winter  will  form  flat  ice  upon  them,  of  an  in- 
credible thickness;  that  ice  is  deeply  covered  with 
the  snows  which  are  continually  falling,  and  a 
thousand  times  more  is  drifted  upon  it  from  the 
adjoining  land,  until  the  accumulation  is  beyond 
all  conception.  On  the  return  of  summer,  the  sun 
and  rains  cause  the  snow  to  become  wet  and 
shrink  together;  when  the  frost  from  beneath, 
striking  up  through  the  whole  mass,  consolidates 
it  into  a  firm  body  of  ice.  In  this  manner  it  keeps 
continually  accumulating  until  the  adjoining  sea 

*  Cartwright  never  uses  the  modern  term  "  iceberg,"  and  indeed  the 
Labradoriana  at  the  present  day  speak  only  of  "  ice-islands." 


u, 


LABRAT^OR    JOURNAL  355 

gets  clearer  of  drift  ice  than  usual,  when  a  gale 
of  wind  hai^pening  from  the  southward,  sends  in 
such  a  swell  as  rips  up  the  whole,  and  divides  it 
into  many  pieces,  reseml^ling  stupendous  white 
rocks,  which  are  slowly  dragged  to  the  south- 
ward b}'  the  current.  As  several  of  those  islands 
may  be  some  years  before  they  arrive  in  a  climate 
that  is  capable  of  dissolving  them,  it  is  more  than 
probable,  that  in  the  mean  time,  they  gain  more 
in  the  course  of  each  winter,  than  they  lose  in  the 
intermediate  summer/  When  they  have  ad- 
vanced some  distance  to  the  southward,  they  thaw 
so  much  faster  under  water  than  they  do  above  it, 
that  the}^  lose  their  equili])rium,  upset,  and  fall 
in  pieces;  otherwise,  I  verily  l)olieve  that  some  of 
them  would  drive  almost  to  the  equinoctial  line, 
befoi'e  they  were  entirely  dissolved. 

The  jam-ice  ^  is  formed  upon  the  coast,  by  the 
freezing  of  the  water  on  the  surface  of  the  sea, 
and  by  the  snow  which  falls  into  it,  and  is  driven 
together  by  the  wind,  until  it  is  ten  or  twelve  feet 
thick,  and  cemented,  in  the  course  of  the  winter, 
by  the  penetrating  power  of  the  frost;  Avhich, 
having  formed  the  surface  into  a  solid  body, 
strikes  through  it,  and  ar-ts  with  piercing  vigour 
equally  on  what  ever  it  touches  below;  and  the 
w^ater.  at  that  time  lacing  as  cold  as  possible  to 
remain  in  a  fluid  stato,  gives  but  little  resistance 
to  the  action  of  the  frost.    I  am  coiifiniicd  in  iliis 

*  This  theory  in  explanation  of  the  formation  of  irebprRH  is  of  eourse 
prroHfoiis.  Cartwright  was  iRnornnt  f>f  their  formation  by  thf  hrenkin^ 
ofT  of  lar^e  maaseH  from  glaciers  at  their  entrance  into  the  sea. 


356  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

opinion,  from  having  had  the  new  ice  cut  through 
to  creep  for  seal-nets,  when  we  have  found  sev- 
eral feet  of  soft  lolly  underneath;  all  of  which 
has  been  cemented  into  firm  ice  before  it  broke 
up  in  the  following  spring.  The  breaking  up  of 
Baffin's  Bay,  Hudson's  Bay,  the  bays  in  Labra- 
dor, and  the  tickles  between  the  numerous  islands, 
all  contribute  their  quota;  and  the  sea  is  so  com- 
Ijletely  subdued  by  it  some  certain  winters,  that 
I  am  of  opinion,  there  is  not  a  drop  of  clear  water 
to  be  met  with  any  where  between  Spotted  Island 
and  Iceland;  nor  on  the  north-west  side  of  that 
line ;  for  I  have  known  gales  of  wind  to  blow  dead 
on  the  shore,  and  to  last  for  three  days,  yet  the 
ice  which  joined  to  the  land,  had  no  more  motion, 
than  the  rocks  to  which  it  was  frozen;  that  was 
scarce  possible  to  have  happened,  had  there  been 
any  open  water  to  windward. 

Dews  are  so  little  known  in  this  country,  that 
I  seldom  observed  any,  unless  there  had  been  a 
fog  in  the  night;  and,  during  every  hot  day  in 
summer,  a  vapour  appears  to  skim  along  the  sur- 
face of  all  open  grounds,  which  resembles  that  of 
an  intense,  red  hot  fire,  and  prevents  the  distin- 
guishing of  an  object  at  a  distance.  I  do 
not  recollect  to  have  observed  the  same  in  Eng- 
land. 

During  the  summer,  travelling  by  land  to  any 
distant  place,  is  not  only  very  unpleasant,  but  it 
is  almost  impracticable.  It  must  be  performed 
on  foot;  the  traveller  must  carry  his  provisions, 
hatchet,  and  what  other  things  he  has  occasion  for 


LABRADOR    JOURXAL  357 

upon  his  back;  his  course  will  be  continually  in- 
terrupted by  rivers,  lakes,  or  large  ponds;  he  will 
find  the  woods  intolerably  hot;  he  will  find  the 
ground,  almost  every  where,  give  way  under  his 
feet,  as  if  he  were  walking  upon  a  bed  of  sponge; 
and  he  will  be  incessantly  tormented  by  millions 
of  flies.  But  it  is  excellent  walking  in  the  winter, 
with  a  pair  of  rackets;  and  there  is  no  obstruc- 
tion from  water,  as  all  waters  are  firmly  frozen. 
The  Esquimaux  make  use  of  a  long  sled,^  about 
twenty-one  feet  by  fourteen  inches,  the  sides  of 
wliich  are  made  of  two  inch  plank,  about  a  foot 
broad;  the  under  edges  are  shod  with  the  jaw- 
bone of  a  whale,  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick,  fast- 
ened on  with  pegs  made  out  of  the  teeth  of  the 
sea-cow;  2  across  the  upper  edges,  are  placed 
broad,  thin  battens  to  fit  and  stow  their  baggage 
upon.  They  yoke  a  number  of  stout  dogs  to  this 
sled,  and  travel  at  the  rate  of  six  or  seven  miles 
an  hour  upon  the  ice,  or  barren  hills:  but  they 
cannot  go  into  the  woods,  for  the  dogs  would  not 
only  bog  in  the  snow  there,  but  the  sled  would 
sink  too  deep,  and  be  always  getting  foul  of  the 
young  trees.  The  ^lountaineer  method  is  the  only 
one  adapted  for  the  interior  parts  of  the  country: 
their  sleds  are  made  of  two  thin  boards  of  birch; 
each  about  six  inches  broad,  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
thick,  and  six  feet  long:  these  are  fastened  par- 
allel to  each  other  by  slight  battens,  sewed  on 
with  thongs  of  deer-skin;  and  the  foremost  end 
is  curved  up  to  rise  over  the  inequalities  of  the 

'  Komatik.  '  Walrus. 


358  CAPTAIN   CARTWEIGHT'S 

snow.  Each  individual  who  is  able  to  walk,  is 
furnished  with  one  of  these;  but  those  for  the 
children  are  proportionately  less.  On  them  they 
stow  all  their  goods,  and  also  their  infants ;  which 
they  bundle  up  very  warm  in  deer-skins.  The 
two  ends  of  a  leather  thong  are  tied  to  the  corners 
of  the  sled;  the  bright '  or  double  part  of  which  is 
placed  against  the  breast,  and  in  that  manner  it 
is  drawn  along.  The  men  go  first,  reheving  each 
other  in  the  lead  by  turns;  the  women  follow 
next,  and  the  children,  according  to  their  strength, 
bring  up  the  rear;  and,  as  they  all  walk  in  rack- 
ets, the  third  or  fourth  person  finds  an  excellent 
path  to  walk  on,  let  the  snow  be  ever  so  light. 

The  businesses  hitherto  carried  on  by  the  Eng- 
lish, are  the  same  with  those  on  the  island  of  New- 
foundland. The  exports  are  codfish,  salmon,  oil, 
whalebone,  and  furs;  but  the  latter  are  much 
superior  to  any  of  the  same  kind  which  are  killed 
upon  that  island,  and  few  parts  of  the  world  pro- 
duce better. 

Notwithstanding  the  many  disadvantages,  which 
that  country  labours  under,  from  poverty  of  soil, 
short  summers,  long  winters,  and  severe  frosts, 
yet  I  am  clear,  that  art  and  good  management  are 
capable  of  making  great  improvements;  and  if 
the  observations  which  I  made  on  the  effects  of 
certain  manures,  in  that  country  and  Newfound- 
land, can  be  of  any  use  in  England,  I  shall  think 
my  time  well  bestowed  in  communicating  them. 

In  one  garden  which  I  made,  where  the  ground 

1  A  misprint,  evidently,  for  bight. 


L.\ERAL)OR    JOURNAL  359 

was  a  collection  of  sheer,  tine  gravel,  without  a 
particle  of  soil  that  I  could  perceive,  the  first  crop 
was,  what  I  thought  a  very  fair  one;  but  at  the 
end  of  the  sunmier,  1  had  a  quantity  of  rotten  sea- 
weed dug  in.  The  follow^ing  summer,  to  prevent 
the  ground  being  so  much  dried  up  as  it  had  been 
the  preceding  one,  I  transplanted  cabbages,  cauli- 
flowers, and  lettuces,  when  very  young,  and  care- 
fully covered  the  whole  of  the  ground  betw^een 
them,  with  fresh  sea-weed,  which  had  a  most  ex- 
cellent effect ;  for,  by  that  means,  there  w^as  a  con- 
stant moisture  i^reserved,  and  the  plants  arrived 
at  great  perfection. 

In  another  garden,  where  the  soil  was  a  hot, 
fine  sand,  the  first  year's  crop  was  nothing  to 
boast  of;  but,  as  I  carried  on  a  great  salmon  fish- 
ery at  that  place,  I  fallowed  part  of  it  the  follow- 
ing summer,  and  covered  it  with  the  entrails  of  the 
salmon,  which  contain  abundance  of  fat;  in  the 
course  of  three  years,  by  manuring  it  in  that  man- 
ner, the  sand  was  absolutely  become  too  strong 
and  adhesive. 

All  the  sealing-posts  now^  exhibit  a  very  differ- 
ent appearance  from  what  they  originally  did, 
from  the  great  quantity  of  oil  that  has  been  spilt 
upon  the  ground  every  spring-,  and  the  putrefac- 
tion of  the  seals'  carcasses  in  the  summer. 

On  landing  in  the  harbour  of  Catalina,  on  my 
last  voyage  from  Trinity  to  La])rador,  T  observed 
a  luxuriancy  of  herbage,  which  T  did  not  suppose 
the  soil,  in  that  part  of  the  world  capa))le  of  ])ro- 
ducing;    but  on  a  closer  insjx'clion  T  found,  the 


360  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 

extent  of  that  fertility  was  confined,  to  those 
places  on  which  fish  had  formerly  been  cured; 
some  small  degree  of  verdure  appeared  on  the 
adjoining  land,  which  I  knew  must  have  been 
trampled  on;  but  beyond  that,  the  earth  exhib- 
ited its  original  barren  state.  I  was  consequently 
led  into  a  belief,  that  the  brine,  which  drained  out 
of  the  fish  when  they  were  first  spread,  was  the 
cause  of  so  great  an  alteration:  and  I  was  con- 
firmed in  this  opinion,  on  my  arrival  at  Conch; 
where  I  found  but  few  of  the  former  fishing-rooms 
occupied,  and  all  the  rest  bearing  a  burden  of  fine 
grass,  which  would  not  have  disgraced  the  best 
meadows  in  England;  while  the  surrounding  land 
still  remained  as  barren,  as  any  other  parts  of 
the  island. 

All  the  old  encampments  of  the  Esquimaux, 
point  themselves  out  to  you  on  sailing  along  the 
shore.  And  the  south-west  point  of  Great  Island, 
on  which  I  had  a  cod-fishery  for  three  successive 
summers,  is  now  covered  with  grass,  where  noth- 
ing but  heath  formerly  grew. 

My  garden  in  Isthmus  Bay,  which  the  reader 
would  observe,  produced  excellent  crops  the  first 
year,  by  being  manured  with  sea-weed  and  offals 
of  fish;  and  also  by  mixing  a  greater  portion  of 
the  barren  sand  that  lay  underneath,  among  the 
peat  soil  on  the  surface,  it  has  since,  I  have  been 
informed,  brought  every  thing  to  a  degree  of  per- 
fection, which  had  never  been  seen  in  that  part 
of  the  world,  in  any  former  year. 

Hence  it  appears  to  me,  that  nothing  can  so 


LABRADOR    JOrRNAl.  361 

effectually  improve  and  alter  the  nature  of  hot, 
barren  sand,  as  unctuous,  annual  manures;  since, 
by  binding  it,  the  moisture  is  retained  much 
longer;  and  more  food  is  obtained  for  the  plants 
which  are  grown  upon  it.  But  the  worst  of  it  is, 
that  such  manures  are  to  be  had  in  England,  but 
in  small  quantities  only,  and  at  a  great  expence, 
unless  the  refuse  of  the  whale's  fat,  after  the  oil 
has  been  extracted,  will  have  the  same  effect ;  but 
I  should  reject  the  skin,  as  a  substance  not  likely 
to  answer  any  good  purpose.  For  the  same  rea- 
sons that  I  would  recommend  unctuous  manures 
to  dry  sand  land,  I  would  not  attempt  to  put  them 
upon  strong  soils,  lest  they  should  become  too 
adhesive. 

The  black  peat,  or  car  soil,  I  should  suppose, 
would  receive  great  benefit  from  an  admixture 
of  barren  sand,  assisted  by  the  produce  of  the 
fold  yard.  But,  as  in  England,  that  kind  of  land 
generally  lies  so  low  as  to  be  very  difficult  to  drain, 
little  is  to  be  expected  from  it,  unless  that  can 
effectually  be  done. 


END  OF  THE  SIXTH  Vr)YAGE. 


LABRADOR: 
A 

POETICAL    EPISTLE' 

Well  may  you,  Charles,  astonishment  express 
To  see  my  letter  in  poetic  dress. 
How  can  he,  you  will  say,  in  Nature's  spight. 
Who  ne'er  found  time  to  read,  attempt  to  write? 
Write  verses  too!    and  words  to  measure  cut! 
UnskUl'd  in  cutting,  save  at  Loin  or  Butt.* 
No  matter  how;  a  project's  in  my  head, 
To  write  more  verses,  than  I've  ever  read. 
The  whim  has  seiz'd  me:  now  you  know  my  scheme; 
And  my  lov'd  Labrador  shall  be  my  Theme. 

The  Winter  o'er,  the  Birds  their  voices  tune, 
To  welcome  in  the  genial  month  of  June. 
Love  crouds  "Rnth  feather'd  tribes  each  little  Isle, 
And  all  around  kind  Nature  seems  to  smile. 
Now  Geese  and  Ducks  and  nameless  numbers  more, 
In  social  flocks,  are  found  on  every  shore. 
Their  eggs  to  seek,  we  rove  from  Isle  to  Isle, 
Eager  to  find,  and  bear  away  the  spoil: 
These  in  abundance,  every  hand  picks  up, 
And  when  our  toil  is  o'er,  on  these  we  sup. 

The  Furrier  now  the  Fox  and  Mart  gives  o'er, 
To  trap  the  Otter  rubbing  on  the  shore. 
The  Rein-deer  stag,  now  lean  antl  timid  grown, 
In  dark  recesses,  silent  feeds  alone. 
The  Willow's  tender  leaf,  and  various  plants, 
He  fails  to  find  not  in  those  dreary  haunts. 
His  fearful  Ilind,  now  shuns  the  Wolf's  dire  wiles, 
And  seeks  her  safety  on  tlie  nciglib'ring  Isles; 

*  See  page  315  for  an  account  of  tin-  writing  of  thi.s  poom. 

*  Id  his  younger  dayH,  the  Author  li.id  u  reuiarkiiblt'  good  appetite. 

363 


364  CAPTAIN    CARTWRIGHT'S 


Whether  in  Lakes,  or  near  the  Ocean's  shore, 
Cleaving  the  liquid  wave,  she  ventures  o'er. 
Now  pond'rous  grown,  she  Nature's  law  obeys, 
And  on  the  ground  her  tender  nursling  lays. 
O'er  this  she  watches  with  maternal  care. 
Nor  danger  dreads,  unless  fell  man  comes  there; 
(Him,  beast  of  prey,  or  Rock,  or  Wave  ne'er  stops) 
For,  mark'd  by  him,  to  him  a  prey  she  drops. 
Fond,  in  the  Summer,  on  young  twigs  to  browse, 
The  social  Beavers  quit  their  Winter's  house. 
Around  the  Lake  they  cruise,  nor  fear  mishap, 
And  sport  unheedful  of  the  Furrier's  trap. 

The  Salmon  now  no  more  in  Ocean  play, 
But  up  fresh  Rivers  take  their  silent  way. 
For  them,  with  nicest  art,  we  fix  the  net; 
For  them,  the  stream  is  carefully  beset; 
Few  fish  escape:    We  toil  both  night  and  day, 
The  Season's  short,  and  Time  flies  swift  away. 

The  Esquimaux  from  Ice  and  Snow  now  free, 
In  Shallops  and  in  Whale-boats  go  to  Sea; 
In  Peace  they  rove  along  this  pleasant  shore, 
In  plenty  live;  nor  do  they  wish  for  more. 
Thrice  happy  Race!    Strong  Drink  nor  gold  they  know; 
What  in  their  Hearts  they  think,  their  Faces  shew. 
Of  manners  gentle,  in  their  dealings  just. 
Their  plighted  promise,  safely  you  may  trust. 
Mind  you  deceive  them  not,  for  well  they  know, 
The  Friend  sincere,  from  the  designing  Foe. 
They  once  were  deem'd  a  People  fierce  and  rude; 
Their  savage  hands  in  Human  blood  imbru'd; 
But  by  my  care  (for  I  must  claim  the  merit) 
The  world  now  owns  that  virtue  they  inherit. 
Not  a  more  honest,  or  more  gen'rous  Race 
Can  bless  a  Sov'reign,  or  a  Nation  grace. 
With  these  I  frequent  pass  the  social  day: 
No  Broils,  nor  Feuds,  but  all  is  sport  and  play. 
My  Will's  their  Law,  and  Justice  is  my  Will; 
Thus  Friends  we  always  were,  and  Friends  are  still. 
Not  so  the  Mountaineers,  a  treach'rous  Race; 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  365 

In  stature  tall,  but  meagre  in  tlie  Face. 
To  Europeans  long  have  they  been  known; 
And  all  their  Vices,  these  have  made  their  own. 
Not  theirs  the  friendly  visit;  nor  the  feast 
Of  social  intercourse;  but  like  brute  beast, 
They  greedily  devour  tlie  reeking  meal: 
And  then  get  drunk  and  quarrel,  lie,  and  steal. 

The  Codfish  now  in  shoals  come  on  the  coast, 
(A  Fish'ry  tliis,  our  Nation's  chiefest  boast) 
Now  numerous  Caplin  croud  along  the  Shore; 
Tho'  great  their  numbers,  yet  their  P'oes  seem  more: 
Whilst  Birds  of  rapine,  hover  o'er  their  Heads, 
^'oracious  Fish  in  myriads  throng  their  Beds. 
With  these  our  Hooks  we  artfully  disguise, 
And  soon  the  glutton  Cod  becomes  our  Prize. 
Not  one  stands  idle;  each  Man  knows  his  post, 
Nor  Day,  nor  Night,  a  moment  must  be  lost. 
The  western  Wind  of  low  Ice  clears  the  Sea, 
And  leaves  to  welcome  Ships  a  passage  free. 
Yet  huge  large  Isles  of  wond'rous  bulk  remain, 
(To  drive  off  which,  the  Wind  still  blows  in  vain) 
In  size,  surpassing  far  thy  bulk,  0  Paul!  * 
Immeasurably  wide,  and  deep,  and  tall. 
To  Seaward  oft'  we  cast  an  anxious  eye; 
At  length  th'  expected  Ship  with  pleasure  spy. 
Impatient  Joy  then  seizes  ev'ry  Breast; 
And  till  we've  boarded  her  Adieu  to  rest. 
Eager  the  News  to  learn,  from  Friends  to  hear; 
The  long  seal'd  Letter  hastily  we  tear.  — 
The  Cargo  landed,  and  the  ship  laid  by, 
To  Fishing  straight,  the  jolly  Sailors  hie. 
If  you  love  sporting,  go  to  Lahradou: 
Of  Game  of  various  sorts,  no  land  has  more. 
There  you  may  suit  your  Taste,  as  you're  inclin'd, 
From  the  i'mrcv.  White-bear  to  the  timid  Hind. 
Of  Fishing  too,  you  there  may  liavc  your  fill: 
Or  in  the  Sea,  or  in  the  purling  Hill. 
Of  feather'd  (iame,  variety  you'll  find, 
And  plenty  you  may  kill,  if  you're  not  blind. 

*  Saint  Paui'u  Loodoo. 


366  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

If  in  the  shooting  Bears,  or  black  or  white, 
If  in  this  larger  Game,  you  take  delight. 
In  summer  time,  to  some  large  Stream  repair, 
Yet  mind  no  Salmon-crew  inhabit  there. 
This  savage  Tribe,  averse  to  social  joys, 
Frequent  those  parts,  most  free  from  Men  and  noise; 
Save,  where  the  Cataract's  stupendous  height, 
Stops  the  fleet  Salmon  in  their  sportive  flight. 
Bears  in  abundance  oft'  frequent  this  place, 
And  noble  Skins  your  Victory  will  grace. 
Of  the  Black-bear  you  need  not  be  afraid; 
But  killing  White  ones,  is  a  dangerous  Trade. 
In  this  be  cool,  and  well  direct  your  Lead, 
And  take  your  Aim  at  either  Heart  or  Head; 
For  struck  elsewhere,  your  Piece  not  level'd  true, 
Not  long  you'll  live,  your  erring  hand  to  rue. 
To  kill  this  Beast,  the  Rifle  I  like  best; 
With  Elbows  on  my  Knees  my  Gun  I  rest. 
For  self-defence,  the  double  Gun  I  prize, 
Loaded  with  Shot,  directed  at  his  Eyes. 

Or  would  you  rather  a  stout  Rein-deer  kill, 
(July  now  in)  observe  and  climb  some  hill, 
Environ'd  by  extent  of  open  ground; 
For  there  the  Rein-deer  at  this  time  are  found.  * 
Nor  walk  about,  but  from  a  Station  watch. 
And  soon  his  motions  with  your  Eye  you'll  catch. 
Be  steady  now;  with  cautious  Eye  explore 
The  Wind's  true  quarter,  or  your  sport  is  o'er. 
Nor  less  his  Eye  and  Ear  demand  your  care; 
No  Beast  more  quick  can  see,  more  quick  can  hear. 
Yet  oft'  his  curious  eye  invites  his  fate. 
And  makes  him  see  his  Error  when  too  late. 
With  strict  Attention  all  your  ground  survey; 
To  steal  up  Wind,  then  take  your  silent  way. 
Shoes  with  fur  soles,  the  sportsman  ought  to  wear; 
Your  lightest  footsteps,  else,  he's  sure  to  hear. 
If  unperceiv'd,  you've  work'd  with  toil  and  pain. 
Lie  still  awhile  till  you  your  Breath  regain. 
A  Deer  in  feeding  looks  upon  the  ground: 
Then  to  advance  the  surest  time  is  found. 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  367 

When  broadside  to  you,  and  his  Head  is  down, 

Aim  at  his  Heart,  but,  and  he  drops  your  own. 

Observe,  no  Ball  will  kill  these  Creatures  dead, 

Save  such,  as  strike  the  Spine,  the  Heart,  or  Head. 

Struck  in  those  mortal  parts.  Death  quick  comes  on; 

But  wounded  elsewhere,  sick,  he  will  lie  down; 

There  let  him  he:  anon,  with  cautious  tread, 

Steal  softly  up  and  shoot  him  through  the  head. 

But  shou'd  it  chance  the  Deer  keeps  open  ground, 

"VNTiere,  to  approach  him,  shelter  is  not  found. 

And,  Night  now  near,  you  cannot  longer  wait. 

Try  this  device,  it  may  draw  on  his  fate: 

Full  to  his  view,  and  motionless  appear; 

This  oft  excites  him  to  approach  j^ou  near. 

He  then  will  stop,  to  take  a  careful  view; 

Be  ready  with  your  Gun,  and  level  true. 

If  the  voracious  Wolf  shou'd  please  you  more. 

All  sandy  beaches  you  must  well  explore. 

Chiefly,  by  Lakes,  or  by  a  River's  side; 

(In  Summer,  in  the  Woods  themselves  they  hide;) 

Be  careful  not  to  walk  along  the  Strand, 

But  at  convenient  places  there  to  land. 

His  tracts  discover'd,  seek  some  snug  retreat, 

And  patient  lie,  till  with  your  Came  you  meet. 

A  Wolf  alone,  is  not  your  only  chance; 

Perhaps  a  Bear,  or  Deer  may  soon  advance. 

For  various  reasons,  when  the  water's  low. 

All  Beasts  along  the  Shore  delight  to  go. 

If  safely  hidden,  you  have  naught  to  mind. 

But,  that  your  Game  shan't  have  you  in  the  wind. 

When  August  comes,  if  on  the  Coast  you  be. 
Thousands  of  fine  Curlews,  you'll  daily  see: 
Delicious  Bird!  not  one  with  thee  can  vie! 
(Not  rich  in  plumage,  but  in  flavour  high) 
Nor  Ortolan,  nor  Cock,  with  trail  on  toast, 
Of  high-fed  Epicures,  the  pride  and  boast! 
Young  Geese  too  now,  in  numbers  croud  the  shore; 
Such  are  the  Dainties  of  our  I.ahhadok. 

If  you  wou'd  wish  with  Ilnrcs  to  sport  awhile. 
You're  sure  to  find  them  on  each  barren  isle: 


368  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 


But  shou'd  you  there,  the  signs  of  Foxes  trace, 
Your  Sport  is  o'er:  No  Hares  frequent  that  place. 
Grouse,  Ptarmigan,  and  various  sorts  of  Game, 
With  Birds  and  Beasts  too  tedious  here  to  name, 
You'll  find  in  plenty  through  the  Year  to  kill; 
No  Game-Laws  there  to  thwart  the  Sportsman's  Will! 

September  comes,  the  Stag's  in  season  now; 
Of  Ven'son,  far  the  Richest  you'll  allow. 
No  Long-legg'd,  Ewe-neck'd,  Cat-hamm'd,  Shambling  Brute: 
In  him  strength,  beauty,  size,  each  other  suit. 
His  branching  Horns,  majestic  to  the  view. 
Have  points  (for  I  have  counted)  seventy-two. 
But  do  you  think,  you'll  all  this  pleasure  share. 
And,  when  fatigu'd,  to  some  good  Inn  repair; 
There  on  a  Chop,  or  Steak,  in  comfort  dine, 
And  smack  your  Lips,  o'er  glass  of  gen'rous  Wine? 
No,  no;  in  this  our  Land  of  Liberty, 
Thousands  of  Miles  you'll  walk,  but  no  House  see. 
When  Night  comes  on,  it  matters  not  a  Rush, 
Whether  you  sleep  in  that,  or  t'other  Bush. 
If  Game  you've  kill'd,  your  Supper  you  may  eat; 
If  not,  to-morrow  you'll  be  sharper  set. 
Yourself,  both  Cook  and  Chamberlain  must  be, 
Or  neither.  Bed,  nor  Supper  will  you  see. 
Drink  you  will  want  not,  Water's  near  at  hand; 
Nature's  best  Tap!  and  always  at  Command. 

Now  Works  of  various  kinds,  employ  all  hands; 
Each  to  his  Post;  for  no  one  idle  stands. 
The  Salmon  now  we  pack;  the  next  our  care, 
The  Codfish  for  the  Market,  to  prepare. 
Crews  to  their  Winter-quarters  now  we  send ; 
Whilst  some,  the  Firewood  fell;  Nets,  others  mend. 
The  Furrier  now,  with  care  his  Traps  looks  o'er, 
These  he  puts  out  in  paths,  along  the  Shore, 
For  the  rich  Fox;  although  not  yet  in  kind. 
His  half-price  Skin,  our  Labour's  worth  we  find. 
And  when  the  Beaver  lands,  young  Trees  to  cut, 
Others  he  sets  for  his  incautious  foot. 
On  Rubbing-places,  too,  with  nicest  care, 


LABRADOR    JOURNAL  369 

Traps  for  the  Otter,  he  must  next  prepare. 
Then  deathfalls,  in  the  old  tall  Woods  he  makes, 
With  Traps  between,  and  the  rich  Sable  takes. 

Now  cast  your  Eyes  around,  stern  Winter  see, 
His  progress  making,  on  each  fading  Tree. 
The  yellow  leaf,  th'  effect  of  nightly  frost, 
Proclaims  his  Visit,  to  our  dreary  Coast. 
Fish,  Fowl,  and  Ven'son,  now  our  Tables  grace; 
Roast  Beaver  too,  and  e'ery  Beast  of  chase. 
Luxurious  living  this!   who'd  wish  for  more? 
Were  Quin  '  alive,  he'd  haste  to  Labrador! 

Some  new  variety,  next  Month  you'll  find; 
The  stately  Stag  now  seeks  his  much-lov'd  Hind. 
Grown  bold  with  Love,  he  stalks  along  the  plains; 
And  e'en,  to  fly  from  Man,  now  oft  disdains. 
If,  in  your  Walks,  you  meet  this  noble  Brute, 
And  \\ith  him  wish  his  progress  to  dispute; 
Be  cool,  collected;   let  him  come  quite  near; 
Then  take  your  Aim  well,  and  you've  nought  to  fear. 
If  struck  not  dead,  reluctantly  he  flies; 
And  soon  grows  faint;  then  trembling,  falls  and  dies. 
But  shou'd  a  sudden  panic  seize  your  frame, 
And  fear  misguide  you,  in  your  Point  and  Aim, 
Your  Error's  fatal ;  'tis  in  vain  you  fly, 
T'  evade  the  fury  of  your  Enemy. 

Now  Eider-ducks  fly  South,  along  the  shore; 
In  milder  Climes,  to  pass  the  winter  o'er. 
At  some  fit  Point,  there  take  your  secret  stand, 
And  numbers  you  may  kill,  from  off  the  land. 

All  this  is  pleasure;  but  a  Man  of  Sense, 
Looks  to  his  Traps;   'tis  they  bring  in  the  Pence. 
The  Otter-season's  short;  and  soon  the  frost 
Will  freeze  your  Traps,  then  all  your  Labour's  lost. 
Of  Beaver  too,  one  Week  will  yield  you  more. 
Than  later,  you  can  hope  for,  in  a  Score. 

^  An  EnRlish  artor,  1693  to  170t).     One  of  bin  moHt  faiiiouH  parta  waa 
that  of  FaLataff. 


370  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT'S 

In  paths,  the  Foxes  now,  will  nightly  cruise; 
But  when  snow'd  up,  no  longer  paths  they  use. 

November  in;  the  Ships  must  now  be  gone, 
Or  wait  the  Winter,  for  the  Spring's  return. 
The  Lakes  are  fast;  the  Rivers  cease  to  flow; 
Now  comes  the  cheerless  Day  of  Frost  and  Snow. 
In  chains  of  Ice,  the  purhng  stream  is  bound; 
Black  Woods  remain;  but  Verdure  is  not  found. 
And  Here  we  feel,  the  Tyrant's  iron  sway, 
Till  a  more  genial  Sun,  returns  with  May. 
Seals  now  we  take;  which,  when  the  Frost's  severe. 
In  crouded  Shoals,  along  the  Coast  appear. 
Hamper'd  in  strong-mesh'd  Toils,  in  vain  they  dive; 
Their  Freedom  to  regain,  in  vain  they  strive; 
Strangled  they  die;  and  with  their  Skins  and  Oil, 
Amply  repay  expence,  and  Time,  and  Toil. 
By  Christmas-Day,  this  work  is  always  o'er. 
And  Seals  and  Nets,  safe  landed  on  the  shore. 

Now  blows  December  with  a  keener  blast; 
And  Ocean's  self,  in  Icy  Chains  binds  fast. 
Ascend  yon  Mountain's  top;  extend  your  view 
O'er  Neptune's  trackless  Empire,  nor  will  you, 
In  all  his  vast  Domain,  an  Opening  have, 
Where  foams  the  Billow,  or  where  heaves  the  Wave. 
A  dreary  Desart  all,  of  Ice  and  Snow, 
Which  forming  Hills,  fast  into  Mountains  grow. 
So  cutting  cold,  now  blust'ring  Boreas  blows, 
None  can  with  naked  Face,  his  blasts  oppose. 
But  well  wrapp'd  up,  we  travel  out  secure. 
And  find  Health's  blessings,  in  an  Air  so  pure. 

Now  to  his  Cave,  the  Black-bear  hies  his  way, 
Where,  lock'd  in  Sleep,  he  spends  both  Night  and  Day; 
Nor,  till  a  milder  Sun  revives  his  Blood, 
Wakes  from  his  Dreams,  to  prowl  abroad  for  food. 
Not  so  the  White  one;  ever  on  the  stray 
In  quest  of  Seals,  his  present  only  prey. 
This  monster  fierce  and  strong,  you  need  not  fear, 
If  that  your  Dog  attack  him  in  the  rear. 


LABRADOR   JOURNAL  371 

There  teas'd,  he  wiekls  about  liis  pond'rous  Frame, 
And  gives  the  Sportsman  time  to  take  his  Aim. 
But  shou'd  your  untaught  Cur  attack  before, 
Both  Dog  and  Master  soon  will  be  no  more. 

To  barren  ground,  the  Fox-traps  now  we  shift, 
Where  they  can  stand  secure,  and  free  from  Drift; 
Bait  well  your  Trap;  observe  too  how  it  lies; 
And  soon,  a  Fox,  or  wolf,  will  be  your  prize: 
For  Wolves,  in  plenty,  on  such  ground  appear, 
Compell'd  by  Hunger,  there  to  seek  for  Deer. 
Oft  have  I  seen  this  Animal  display, 
Much  artful  skill,  in  hunting  down  his  prey. 
The  Herd  descri'd,  he  slily  creeps  up  near; 
Then,  rushing  forward,  singles  out  his  Deer. 
Greedy  of  Blood,  and  with  keen  Hunger  press'd, 
This  he  pursues,  regardless  of  the  rest. 
With  weD  strung  Sinews,  both  maintain  the  Strife; 
The  one  for  Food  —  the  other  runs  for  Life. 
If  light  the  Snow,  the  Deer  evades  the  Chase; 
If  drifted  hard,  the  Wolf  supports  his  pace. 
Then,  bold  wnth  fear,  he  turns  upon  his  Foe, 
And  oft'times  deals  him  a  most  fatal  blow. 
But  oft'ner  falls  a  victim  in  the  fray, 
And  to  his  ruthless  Jaws  becomes  a  prey. 

We'll  shift  the  Scene,  and  to  the  Woods  repair. 
And  see  what  various  Works  are  doing  there. 
In  yonder  Birchen  grove,  there  lives  a  Crew, 
Employ'd  in  mending  Casks,  and  making  new. 
This  wood  of  Spruce,  which  rises  to  the  sky. 
The  fish'ry's  future  Shipping  will  suppl}'. 
Some  fell  the  Trees,  and  some  saw  out  the  Stock, 
Whilst  others  form  the  Vessel  in  the  Dock. 
In  these  Employments,  Winter's  j^asscd  awaj'; 
No  change  is  found,  till  near  the  ap])roach  of  May. 
Returning  small  Birds  then  the  Country  fill, 
And  Cock-grouse  chatter  on  each  barren  Ilill. 
The  Ice  parts  from  the  Shore,  and  now  the  Ducks 
Their  Nortliward  roursc  beat  buck  in  nuni'rous  flocks. 
Deer  in  Hma.ll  llerda  the  sume  route  bend  their  way, 


372  CAPTAIN   CARTWRIGHT 

Affording  pastime  for  your  Gun  each  day. 
All  Animals  their  Winter-quarters  leave, 
And  Ocean,  now  awake,  begins  to  heave. 
Ice  rotten  grown,  in  ev'ry  Lake  you'll  see. 
And  swelling  Rivers,  from  their  Bonds  set  free. 
The  Woodmen  now  with  Sledges,  on  the  Snow, 
Their  Winter's  Work  draw  out  and  homeward  go. 
What's  yet  to  do,  must  instantly  be  done. 
For  other  Work  must  shortly  be  begun. 
Shallops  now  launched,  the  Crews  no  longer  stay. 
But  in  their  Boats,  bring  all  their  Work  away. 
In  such  like  Toils  and  Sports,  the  Year  goes  round. 
And  for  each  day,  some  Work  or  Pleasure's  found. 


FINIS. 


GLOSSARY 


AuNTSART.  A  bird  of  the  wading  genus,  resembling  a  redshank. 
[Greater  Yellow-legs,  Tolanus  mdanokucus.  The  name  is  still  used  in 
Labrador.] 

Angle  of  a  Beaverhouse.     The  entrance;    it  is  always  under  water. 

Baked  Apples.  The  fruit  of  a  plant  so  called,  from  the  similarity  of 
taste  to  that  of  the  pulp  of  a  roasted  apple.  ["  Bake  apple  "  or  cloud- 
berry, Ruhus  Chamacmorns.] 

Barrens.    Elevated  lands,  which  will  not  produce  timber. 

Barricados.  That  ice  which  is  formed  upon  the  shore  above  low- 
water  mark. 

Beavek- Cuttings.  A  furrier's  term  for  those  trees  or  sticks  which 
have  been  cut  down  by  beavers.  It  is  also  used  for  the  stumjjs  which  are 
left. 

Block  up  a  Boat.     To  place  blocks,  or  logs  of  wood  under  her  keel. 

Bobber.  A  small  piece  of  wood,  which  is  made  fast  by  a  piece  of  line 
(called  the  bobber-line)  to  that  corner  of  a  shoal-net  next  to  the  land, 
which,  by  floating  upon  the  water,  shews  where  the  net  is. 

Bridge  of  a  De.\thfall.  A  piece  of  board  placed  within  a  deathfall; 
one  end  of  which  is  hung  to  a  small  stake  by  a  piece  of  twine,  and  the 
other  end  Ls  supported  in  an  horizontal  position  by  a  peg  (called  a  tongue.) 
When  an  animal  treads  on  it,  the  peg  is  drawn  out,  which  sets  the  cat- 
killer  at  liberty,  and  that  falls  upon  the  back  of  the  creature  and  kills  it. 

Bridge  of  a  Trap.  A  plate  of  iron  in  the  centre  of  a  trap  for  the 
animal  to  tread  on,  which  then  falling  down,  sets  the  jaws  at  liberty. 

Bulk  of  Fish.     A  quantity  of  fish  salted  one  upon  another. 

Bull.  A  small  sea  bird.  I  believe  it  is  called  the  ice-bird.  [Dovekie 
or  little  auk,  Alle  alle.] 

Busk.  A  piece  of  board  which  is  pointed  at  one  end  and  broad  at 
the  other.  When  a  furboard  is  not  broad  enough  to  spread  a  skin  prop- 
erly, the  bu.sk  is  introduced  on  the  belly  side  to  stretch  it  completely. 

Callibogu.s.     a  mixture  of  spruce-beer  and   rum. 

Cai'LIN.     a   fish   "  Salmo   Archcus  "   Pennant,      \.\fnllntus  trillosus.] 

Cat  -  house.  A  hut  of  boughs  erected  over  a  trap,  to  defend  it  from 
snow. 

Chinring.  Filling  with  mos.4,  the  vacancies  between  the  studs  of 
houses,    to   keep   out   the   wind    anri    fro.st. 

CoDSTAGE.  A  covered  platform,  which  is  built,  projecting  over  the 
water,  to  split  and  salt  co<JGHh  in. 

378 


374  GLOSSARY 

Craft.  A  fisherman's  term,  signifying  the  whole  of  the  implements 
they  use;   such  as  nets,  hooks,  Unes,  &c. 

Crew  of  Beavers.  The  two  old  beavers,  and  all  their  young  ones 
which  have  not  yet  begun  to  breed.  If  there  are  more  breeding  pairs 
than  one  in  the  same  house,  it  is  said  to  be  inhabited  by  a  double  or  treble 
crew. 

Cross  -  fox.  A  fox  which  is  bred  between  a  silver  and  yellow.  [A 
colour  variety  of  the  Labrador  red  fox,  Vulpes  rvbiginosa  bangsi.] 

Cuffs.  Mittens  to  wear  upon  the  hands.  They  resemble  those  made 
use  of  by  hedgers  in  England. 

Deathfall.  a  trap  made  of  logs.  They  are  chiefly  used  to  catch 
martens,  but  they  will  kill  any  beast,  by  erecting  them  in  proportion 
to  his  size  and  strength. 

DiLLROOM.     The  well  in  a  boat. 

DoATER.  An  old,  common  seal.  [Probably  harp  seal,  Phoca  groen- 
landica.] 

Eddy  Flaw.  When  the  current  of  wind  is  interrupted  by  a  hill  or 
any  other  body,  short  puffs  will  often  strike  in  a  contrarj^  direction;  those 
are  called  Eddy  FlaWs. 

I'aggots  of  Fish.  Small  parcels  of  codfish,  from  a  dozen  to  a  score, 
laid  one  upon  another,  with  their  backs  upwards  to  be  defended  from 
wet,  during  rain  or  the  night. 

Fall  in  a  River.    A  small  cataract. 

Fish  upon  the  Gangboards.  An  expression  used  by  fishermen  to 
denote  a  boat  being  completely  laden  with  fish;  to  shew  which,  they 
bring  in  two  or  three  upon  the  Gangboards. 

Flakes.  Sets  of  beams,  which  are  supported  on  posts  and  shores, 
and  covered  with  boughs.  They  are  used  to  dry  fish  upon.  They  are 
of  two  sorts,  viz:    Broad-flakes  and  Hand-flakes. 

Fleet  of  Nets.  A  number  of  nets,  which  are  fastened  to  each  other, 
in  such  manner  as  to  form  a  pound,  or  pounds.  A  fleet  of  salmon-nets, 
commonly  speaking,  is  but  three.  But  there  is  no  determined  number 
for  a  fleet  of  Stopper-nets  for  seals. 

Flight  -  time.     The  periodical  migration  of  ducks. 

Frostburn.  a  deep  and  serious  penetration  of  frost  on  any  animal 
substance.  The  effect  of  severe  frost  on  animal  substances  being  equal 
with  that  of  fire,  is  the  reason  of  that  term. 

FuRBOARDS.     Boards  to  spread  furs  upon. 

Ganging  Hooks  and  Leads.  To  fix  fine  twine  in  a  particular  man- 
ner to  fish-hooks,  and  small  straps  of  line  to  leads,  that  they  may  be 
ready  for  immediate  use. 

Gigger  or  Jigger.  A  pair  of  large  hooks  fixed  back  to  back  with  some 
lead  run  upon  the  shanks,  in  the  shape  of  a  fish.  The  Gigger  being  let 
down  to  the  bottom,  is  played  by  sharp  jerks,  and  such  fish  are  hooked 
by  it,  as  are  enticed  by  the  resemblance  of  the  leg^.  ^9  a  real  fish. 


GLOSSARY  375 


GuLiiT.  A  Barrel  with  only  one  head  in  it,  and  a  couple  of  large  holes 
bored  under  the  chime  hoops  of  the  other  end,  to  introduce  a  stang  to 
carry  it  upon.     They  are  used  chiefly  to  carry  salt  in. 

Harp.  An  old  seal  of  that  kind  called  by  Pennant,  "  Blackback." 
[Harp  seal,  Phoca  groenlnndica.] 

Haul  a  Net.  Such  nets  as  are  constantly  moored  in  the  water 
are  hauled  by  going  out  to  them  in  a  boat,  laying  hold  of  one  end,  and 
hauling  the  boat  along  by  the  head-rope  to  the  other  end,  taking  the  fish 
out  into  the  boat;  the  meshes  being  made  large  enough  for  the  fish  to 
entangle  themselves  in  them.  A  seine  is  hauled,  by^shooting  it,  by  de- 
grees, out  of  a  boat  into  the  water,  and  hauling  it  on  shore  again  by  the 
two  ends. 

Hound.  A  water-fowl  rather  larger  than  a  teal.  Th&se  birds  migrate 
to  the  north  in  large  Hocks  in  the  spring,  and  as  they  fly,  make  a  continual 
noise,  than  which  nothing  can  more  resemble  the  cry  of  a  pack  of  beagles 
when  in  chase.  When,  and  how  they  return  to  the  south  again  I  am 
unacquainted.     [Old-squaw,  Harelda  hyemalis.] 

HuMMOc.     A  little  hill. 

Jam  Ice.  The  low  ice  with  which  the  whole  face  of  the  ocean  is  cov- 
ered every  winter,  and  until  late  in  the  summer. 

Jar.  The  young  of  the  smallest  kind  of  seal;  the  old  ones  are  called 
Double  Jars.  [Either  the  harbour  seal,  Phoca  vilulina  concolor,  or  ringed 
seal,  Phoca  hispida,  probably  the  latter.] 

Jerk.    To  cure  fish  or  meat  in  the  open  air  without  salt. 

Killers  of  a  Deathfall,  are  three,  viz.  The  Ground-killer;  which 
lies  upon  the  ground,  across  the  front  of  the  Deathfall.  The  Cat-killer; 
one  end  of  which  turns  upon  a  nail  which  is  driven  into  a  strong  stake, 
and  the  other  is  supported  high  up  by  a  line  which  passes  over  a  crutch 
on  the  top  of  a  stake  and  then  comes  down  to  another  at  the  bottom, 
under  which  one  end  of  the  tongue  is  fixed,  while  the  other  supports  the 
bridge;  which  being  pressed  by  the  animal,  disengages  the  point  of  the 
tongue,  that  sets  the  cat-killer  at  liberty  and  it  falls  down  upon  the  ground- 
killer;  con.sequently  falls  down  upon  the  back  of  any  animal,  which  may 
be  standing  across  the  latter.  And  the  iMain-killer;  ope  end  of  which 
rests  upon  the  ground  and  the  other  upon  the  elevated  end  of  the  Cat- 
killer,  and  falls  with  it;   serving  to  keep  the  latter  down. 

Killick.  a  wooden  anchor,  made  by  nailing  a  pair  of  claws  across 
each  other,  and  fi.xing  three  rods  to  each  claw;  within  which  a  large  stone 
Lb  placed  to  give  it  weight,  and  the  ends  of  all  the  rods  are  tied  together 
above  the  stone,  to  secure  it  in  its  place.  [These  are  still  used  on  the 
New  England  coast  and  bear  the  same  name.] 

Ki.vfJ  -  Hairs.  The  long,  glo8.sy  hairs  in  the  skin  of  a  beast,  which 
cover  the  thick  coat  of  fur. 

Kyack.  The  Esquimau  name  for  the  canoe  which  is  made  use  of  by 
that  nation. 


376  GLOSSARY 


Lady.  A  water-fowl  of  the  duck  genus,  and  the  hen  of  the  lord.  [Fe- 
male harlequin  duck,  Histrionicus  histrionicus.] 

Lance.     A  small  fish.     The  Sand-eel.     [Ammodytes  americanus.] 

IjANDwash.  That  part  of  the  shore  which  is  within  the  reach  of  the 
water  in  heavy  gales  of  wind. 

Laying  -  room.  Boughs  spread  upon  the  ground  to  dry  fish  upon. 
They  are  seldom  made  use  of,  except  on  the  first  establishing  a  cod-fish- 
ery, before  there  has  been  time  to  erect  flakes. 

Ledge.  Sunken  rocks,  and  shoaly  places  in  the  sea,  where  the  cod- 
fish resort. 

LoBScousE.  A  sea  dish.  It  is  a  composition  of  minced,  salted  beef, 
sea  biscuit  broken  small,  together  with  potatoes  and  onions,  pepper, 
&c.  resembling  a  thick  soup. 

LoNGERS.  Poles,  which,  by  being  nailed  top  to  but,  are  made  use 
of  for  floors,  instead  of  boards. 

Lolly.  Soft  ice,  or  congealed  snow  floating  in  the  water  when  it  first 
begins  to  freeze. 

Loon.    A  large  fowl  of  the  diving  genus.     [Gavia  immer.] 

Lord.  A  water-fowl  of  the  teal  kind.  [Male  harlequin  duck,  Histri- 
onicus histrionicus.] 

Mew.    a  keeper's  term,  for  deer  casting  their  horns. 

Mink.  A  small  amphibious  animal  of  the  otter  species.  [Putorius 
tdson.] 

NiTCH  OF  Rinds.  Ten  in  number,  or  as  many  large  ones,  as  a  man 
can  conveniently  carry  under  his  arm.  Each  rind  must  be  six  feet  long, 
and  as  wide  as  the  circumference  of  the  tree  on  which  it  grew. 

Northwester.  A  hood  to  cover  the  head  and  shoulders  in  severe 
weather.    It  is  intended  chiefly  to  defend  the  cheeks  and  neck. 

Pack  of  Casks.  A  cask  which  is  taken  to  pieces,  first  marking  the 
staves,  bundled  up  together  and  secured  by  four  hoops. 

Pan  of  Ice.  A  piece  of  flat  ice  of  no  determined  size,  but  not  very 
large;  the  large  ones  are  called  sheets  of  ice. 

Pelt.  The  skin  of  an  animal  with  the  fat  adhering  to  it.  That  term 
is  made  use  of,  for  the  skins  of  seals,  and  such  other  animals,  the  fat  of 
which  lies  between  the  skin  and  the  flesh.  A  seal  &c.  is  said  to  be  Pelted, 
when  the  skin  and  fat  are  taken  off  together. 

Phrippers.     The  fin-like  feet  of  seals,  and  other  amphibious  animals. 

Pile  of  Fish.  A  large  quantity  of  dry  fish,  built  up  in  the  form  of  a 
round  haystack.  When  they  are  sufficiently  cured  upon  the  flakes,  they 
are  made  up  into  a  pile,  in  order  to  preserve  them  from  wet;  to  get  a 
gentle  heat,  and  to  make  room  for  others. 

PiNOVERS.  Bits  of  flannel,  which  are  tacked  to  one  side  of  the  North- 
wester, and  pinned  to  the  other;  one  covering  the  nose,  and  the  other, 
the  chin. 

Planter.    A  man  who  keeps  servants  of  his  own,  and  cwriea  on  busi- 


GLOSSARY  377 


ness  for  himself;  but  who,  by  not  having  a  vessel,  buys  his  necessary 
supplies  from,  and  selLs  the  produce  of  his  concerns  to  a  merchant  in 
the  country. 

Pooler.  A  salmon  which  has  lain  a  lona;  time  in  a  ri\  er,  but  has  not 
yet  spawned.      [Salmo  salar.] 

Post.  A  stout  piece  of  timber,  standing  perpendicularly  under  a 
beam.    A  station  from  whence  a  fishery  is  carried  on. 

Pryor  -  POLE.  A  long  pole,  which  is  fastened  to  that  end  of  a  shoals 
net  that  is  farthest  from  the  land,  by  a  piece  of  rat-line;  which,  not  being 
long  enough  to  reach  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  causes  the  top  of  the 
pole  to  appear,  when  the  water  is  covered  with  ice  or  lolly. 

PTAR.\fiGAN.     A  bird  of  the  grouse-kind;    it  generally  weighs  about  a 
pound,  but  seldom  more.     [The  rock  ptarmigan,  Lagopus  rupestrin.     I'he 
willow  ptarmigan,  Lagopus  lagopus,  Cartwright  calls  grouse] 
PrxT.     .\  small  boat. 

Raftering  of  Ice.  Ice  is  said  to  rafter,  when,  by  being  stopped  in 
its  passage,  one  piece  is  forced  under  another,  until  the  uppermost  ones 
ri.se  to  a  great  height. 

Rand  of  Fat.  A  sealer's  term  for  a  large  piece  of  fat,  just  as  it  hap- 
pens to  be  cut  off  the  animal. 

Rapid,  in  a  River.  WTiere  there  is  a  sudden  declivity  of  the  bed  of 
a  river,  the  stream  runs  quicker;    such  places  are  called  Rapids. 

Rattle,  in  a  River.  Where  there  is  a  succession  of  falls  in  a  river 
(which  are  frecjuently  to  be  met  with  in  mountainous  countries)  the 
falling  water  makes  a  great  noise;  such  a  place  is  called  a  Rattle. 
Rendering  Oil.  A  sealer's  term  for  melting  fat  into  oil. 
Rinding.  The  action  of  taking  the  bark  from  trees.  In  this  part  of 
the  world,  one  length  only,  of  six  feet,  is  taken  off  the  lower  part  of  the 
trunk  of  a  tree.  The  chief  use  of  rinds  is,  to  cover  the  roofa  of  houses  and 
piles  of  fish. 

Rode.  A  small  tow-line,  of  four  inches  and  an  half;  made  use  of  by 
shallops,  by  way  of  a  cable. 

Round  Seal.    A  seal  which  has  not  yet  been  either  skinned  or  pelted. 
Rubbingplace.     a  place  by   the  water-side,   which   otters   have   fre- 
quently made  use  of  to  rub  themselvas  on  after  fishing. 

Rummage.  A  furrier's  term  for  searching  a  country;  particularly 
for  beaver-houses,  when  nothing  else  is  mentioned. 

Saddle  of  a  Hill.  Th(!  low  part  between  two  elevations  on  a  chain 
of   hills. 

Saddleback.  The  largest  species  of  gull,  "  Blackback."  Pennant, 
[rireat   black-backed   gull,    Ijiths   marinuH.\ 

ScuLPlN.     A  fish  of  the  gurnet  genus,     \^f ynTocrphnlu.'^,  species?) 
Sewel.     a  device  to^turn  deer;  particularly  applied  to  the  feathered  line. 
Shellbihd.     a   water-fowl.     I   believe  it  is  called  honer  in   England. 
[Sheldrake,  red-breasted  mcrgan-^cr,   Mcrgus  serrator.] 


378  GLOSSARY 


Shares.  Men  are  said  to  work  on  the  shares  when  they  have  a  pro- 
portion of  what  they  kill  or  make,  in  lieu  of  wages;  their  employer  fur- 
nishing craft. 

Shin.    An  instrument  of  wood,  to  take  rinds  off  the  trees. 

Shoal  -  net.  A  net  to  catch  seals  in.  It  is  generally  forty  fathoms 
long  by  two  deep.  The  foot  of  it  is  brought  to,  on  a  shallop's  old  rode, 
and  the  head,  on  two  fishing-lines;  with  corks  between.  It  is  set  in  any 
depth  of  water,  not  exceeding  fifteen  fathoms  nor  less  than  three,  and 
moored  by  a  couple  of  killicks,  fastened  by  eight  or  ten  fathoms  of  rope 
to  the  ends  of  the  foot-rope,  which  by  its  weight  keeps  the  foot  of  the  net 
close  to  the  bottom  of  the  water,  and  the  corks  make  it  stand  perpen- 
dicular. As  the  seals  dive  along  near  the  bottom  to  fish,  they  strike  into 
the  net  and  are  entangled;  for  the  net  is  placed,  with  one  end  towards 
the  shore,  and  the  other  right  off.  The  Pryor-pole  at  the  outer  clew 
(corner)  and  the  bobber  at  the  inner  one,  shew  where  the  net  is.  The 
sealers  lay  hold  of  either,  and  by  their  means  bring  the  head  of  the  net 
to  the  boat;  they  then  haul  their  boat  along  to  the  other  end,  and  take 
the  seals  out  as  they  go. 

Shoals  of  Seals,  or  Fish.  A  number  of  seals  or  fish  being  in  com- 
pany, are  called  a  shoal.  I  presume  the  term  arose,  from  the  breaking  of 
the  water  among  them,  appearing  like  the  rippling  of  shoaly  ground. ^ 

Shoot  in  a  River.  A  place  where  the  stream,  being  confined  by  rocks 
which  appear  above  water,  is  shot  through  the  aperture  with  great  force. 

Shore.  A  stout  post  placed  on  the  side  of  a  beam  in  a  reclined  posi- 
tion, to  prevent  its  giving  way  on  that  side. 

Shoremen.  The  people  who  are  employed  on  shore,  to  head,  split,  and 
salt  the  codfish. 

Shore  up  a  Boat.  When  a  boat  is  placed  upon  the  blocks,  and  set 
upright,  several  shores  are  placed  on  each  side;  to  prevent  its  falling 
either  to  one  side  or  the  other. 

Silver  -  fox.  A  black-fox,  with  white  king-hairs  dispersed  on  the  back 
of  it.     [A  colour  variety  of  the  Labrador  red  fox,  Vulpes  ruhiginosa  hangsi.] 

Silver  -  thaw.     When  it  rains  and  freezes  at  the  same  time. 

Slink.  A  salmon  which  has  spawned,  and  has  not  yet  recovered  itself 
by  returning  into  the  sea;    till  which  time,  it  never  will.     [Salmo  salar.] 

Slip.  A  snare  for  catching  deer,  bears,  or  other  large  animals.  They 
are  made^  of  various  materials,  accordingly  as  a  man  is  provided. 

Slot.    The  foot-mark  of  deer. 

Spring  Fish.     A  salmon  which  is  in  perfect  season.     [Salmo  salar.] 

Spruce -Game.  A  bird  of  the  grouse  genus.  [Hudsonian  spruce 
grouse,    Canachites    canadensis.] 

Spudgel.  a  small  bucket  fixed  to  the  end  of  a  pole,  to  throw  the  water 
out  of  a  boat,  which  has  no  pump. 

'  The  Century  Dictionary  says  that  shoal  is  the  assibilated  form  of  school,  mean- 
ing a  Qompany,  a  multitude. 


GLOSSARY  379 


Spurshores.  Very  long  shores,  to  support  the  wall-plate  of  the  roof 
of  a  codstage. 

Squid.  The  inkfish.  [Ommasirephes  ilkcebrosus;  of  the  cuttle-fish 
family.] 

Swing  a  net.  A  net  is  said  to  be  at  swmg,  when  one  end  only  of  it 
is  made  fast. 

Steady  in  a  River.  A  part  where  the  bed  widens,  inclining  to  a  pond, 
and  there  is  no  perceptible  stream. 

Stint.  The  dam  made  by  beavers  across  a  stream,  to  raise  the  water 
to  a  height  convenient  for  their  purpose. 

Stock  of  Tlmber.    A  piece  of  timber,  intended  to  be  sawed. 

Stopper  -  net.  A  large  net  for  catching  seals,  which  is  made  to  fit 
the  place  in  which  it  is  fixe<l;  the  foot  lies  upon  the  ground,  and  the  head 
floats  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  by  means  of  buoys.  The  farther  end  is 
made  fast  to  an  island  (where  there  is  one)  or  to  the  head-rope  of  a  long 
net  which  is  moored  parallel  to  the  shore,  and  the  near  end  is  raised  or 
lowered  at  pleasure,  by  means  of  capstans.  Several  of  these  nets  being 
placed  at  certain  distances  from  each  other,  form  so  many  pounds. 

Stoxtter.  Ver>'  strong  shores,  which  are  placed  round  the  head  of  a 
stage  or  wharf,  to  prevent  them  from  being  damaged  by  ships  or  boata. 

Stranger.     A  water-fowl  of  the  duck  kind.' 

Tail  a  Trap.    To  fix  it  properly  for  catching  an  animal. 

Thwart  up  a  Boat.  To  move  a  boat  out  of  the  reach  of  the  tide,  by 
the  assistance  of  leavers,  or  bodily  strength,  when  she  is  laid  broadside 
to  the  shore. 

Tickle.  A  passage  between  the  continent  and  an  island,  or  between 
two  islands,  when  it  is  of  no  great  width. 

Tinker.  A  sea  fowl,  "  Razorbill."  Pennant.  [Razor-billed  auk, 
Alca  torda.] 

Tilt.     A  small  hut. 

Tilt  -  back.  A  Back -tilt  is  a  shed  made  of  boughs,  resembling  the 
section  of  a  roof;  the  back  part  is  placed  towards  the  wind,  and  a  fire  is 
generally  made  in  front. 

Tom  -  COD.     Young   codfish.       [This   term    is   used   loosely   of   several 


'The  name  ftratujer  for  a  water  bird  is  not  used,  as  far  as  I  can  discover,  on  tlio 
I^abrador  coast  at  the  present  day,  nor  have  1  found  the  name  anionR  tlie  vernacu- 
lar names  of  water  birds  in  use  durinj;  ('artwright's  day  in  Kngland.  Selby  in  his 
Illustrations  of  Hritish  Ornithology,  IK'trj,  Vol.  II,  p.  420,  pjivcs  the  name  s/rn/i;/ as  one 
of  the  provincial  names  for  the  foolish  nuillomot,  aridM<>iit:iKui',  in  his"  Ornithcdogi- 
cal  Oictionary  of  British  Birds,"  in  IT.U.Jnd  edit.,  p.  .WJ,  also  gives  this  word, spelt 
strniwy,  for  the  same  bird.  It  Is  perhaps  not  too  far  fetohod  to  think  that  Cart- 
wright  refers  to  the  same  bird  under  the  name  of  striiii'jrr,  especially  as  it  is 
common  on  the  I-abrador  roast.      The  common  or  foolish  guillemot  or  n\iirre,  fV/a 

f  rof/r,  and  the  very  similar   Bnlniih's  murre.  f'ri'i   hniiHn,  both  urrcil    therein 

enormous  numbers  in  fartwright's  day.  and  ho  does  not  refer  to  these  birds  on  the 
coast  unless  under  the  name  of  stranger. 


380  GLOSSAEY 


small  fishes  but  is  properly  applied  to  the  Atlantic  tomcod  or  frost-fish, 
Microgadus  tomcodas.] 

Tongue  of  a  Deathfall.  A  peg,  which  is  tied  to  the  end  of  the  line 
which  supports  the  Cat-killer;  the  but  end  of  which  is  placed  under  a  fork 
or  notch  in  a  stake,  and  the  point  is  inserted  in  a  hole  in  the  end  of  the 
bridge. 

Tongue  of  a  Trap.  A  small  bar  of  iron,  which  is  placed  on  one  side 
of  the  bed  of  a  trap,  and  turns  upon  a  pin:  it  passes  over  one  of  the  jaws, 
and  the  end  of  it  is  fixed  under  the  heel  of  the  bridge,  which  it  supports 
until  that  is  pressed  upon;    when,  being  set  at  liberty,  the  jaws  fly  up. 

Turn  of  Timber.    So  much  as  a  man  can  carry  on  his  shoulders. 

Water  -  horse.  Newly  washed  codfish,  which  are  laid  upon  each 
other  to  drain  before  they  are  spread  to  dry. 

Whabby.  a  water-fowl  of  the  diving  genus.  [Red-throated  loon, 
Gavia  stellata.] 

Whigwham.     An  Indian  tent  of  a  conical  form. 

Whitecoat.  a  young  seal,  before  it  has  cast  its  first  coat,  which  is 
white  and  furry.     [Probably  harp  seal,  Phoca  groenlandica.] 

Whitefish.  a  fish  of  the  Porpoise  kind.  [White  whale,  Delphinap- 
terus    leiicas.] 

Whitings.     Trees  which  have  been  barked,  and  left  standing. 

Whittled  -  sticks.     Sticks  from  which  beavers  have  eaten  the  bark. 

Wrappers.  Loose  sleeve-pieces  to  button  round  the  wrists,  to  defend 
them  from  the  frost. 

Writh.  The  contents  of  the  magazine  formed  by  beavers,  for  their 
support  in  the  winter. 

Youngster.  A  novitiate;  a  person  in  the  first  year,  or  early  part  of 
his  servitude;  one  who  has  his  business  to  learn. 


INDEX 


The  figures  in  italics  refer  to  the  pages  where  the  explanatory  notes  occur. 


Adlercron,  Col.  John,  6 

Alder,  219,  3-45 

Alexander,  see  Cow-parsnip 

Alexander  River,  82 

Alexis  River,  159 

American  Independence,  xxii-xxiv 

Angle  of  a  beaverhouse,  299, 373 

Antlers  of  caribou,  46,  174,  325,  326 

Arraine  and  Elvira,  xxvi 

Arnold,  Benedict,  332,  336,  337 

Aspen,  298,  342,  345 

Atkinson,   Charles,    15,   42,   97-99, 

105 
Auchbucktocke,  41,  48 
Auk,  Great,  9S,  94,  153,  318,  319 
Auk,  Razor-billed,  SO,  258,  379 
Auntsary,  see  Yellow-legs,  Greater 

Baked  apple,  177,2iO,37S 

Baked-pears,  S4'5 

Bankruptcy,  292,  315,  316 

Banks,  Sir  Joseph,  143 

Baptism  of  Maria,  265 

Barbel,  341 

Barrens,  340,  373 

Barricados,  373 

Batteau  Harbour,  165,253 

Battle  Harbour,  158,  270,  321 

Bear,  Black,  26,  35,  166,  174,  177, 
178,  179,  food  of,  236, 296;  273, 
281,  282,  348 

Bear,  Polar,  29,  37,  72,  73,  86,  95, 
as  food,  98;  damage  bv,  102; 
eating  salmon,  178;  196,  199, 
200,  205,  action  with  cubs,  206, 
eating  eggs,  217;  348,  at  Eagle 
River  falls,  228-236;  habits  of, 
256-258 

Beaver,  26,  35,  49,  50,  70,  172,  202, 
226,  227,  general  aecount  of, 
297-319;  .ilO,  311,  Indian 
method.s  of  eapture,  350-351 

Bedlamer,  185,  257 

Bellv-timber.  90 

Beothuks,  9,  /6-25,  34,  319 


Birch.  77,  82,  176,  342-345 

Black-diver,  see  Scoter,  American 

Black  duck.  27,  140,  219 

Blackguard  Bay,  218,  240,  253, 
280 

Black's  Head,  xxx 

Blueberries,  34,  346 

Boneta,  136 

Bottle-nose  diver,  see  Scoter,  Surf 

Brass-wing  diver,  see  Scoter,  White- 
winged 

Brouze,  306 

Buffon,  297,  308,  309 

Bulfinch,  sec  Pine  grosbeak 

Bull,  sec  Dovekie 

Butcher  bird,  sec  Slirike 

Byron,  Commodore,  28,  32 

Callibogus,  373 
Caplin,  108,  173,  174.  204,  373 
Caribou,  Barron-grovmd,  20,  21 
Caribou,  Newfoundland,  20,  21 
Caribou,  Woodland,  20,  30,  36,  45, 
46, 47, 48, 51 ,  59,  behaviour  with 
dogs,  60-62;  frequenting  .shores 
in  winter,  72;   76,  77,  103,  160, 
161,  174,  speed,  183,  278;    198, 
200,  201,  249-251,  migrations 
of,  256;    captive  calf,  274-278; 
food  of,  276,  277;  a.s  food,  279; 
324,  325,  mewing  antlers,  325, 
326 
Caribou  Castle,  237,  241,  242,  247 
Carmack,  Expedition  of,  16,  22 
Cartwright,  Cli;irles.  xxvii.  xxviii 
('art wriglit,    iMJmund,    ancestor   of 

George,  xix,  xx 
Cartwright,    Edmund,    brother    of 

George,  xxv   xxvii 
Cartwright  Harbour.  171,  175,198 
Cartwright.  John,  xxi-xxv,  8,  9,  32 
Cartwright,  Mi.ss  F.  D.,  xxviii 
Cartwright,  Sir  Hugh,  xix 
( '.irt'vright ,     William,     brother     of 
(ieorge,  xx 


381 


382 


INDEX 


Cartwright,     William,     father     of 

George,  xx 
Cat,  see  Fisher 
Charles  River,  29,  30,  39 
Chateau  Bay,  14,  77,  99 
Cherry,  345 

Christmas,  58,  96,  186.  254,  325 
Churching  of  Nanny,  70 
Climate,  189,  221,  352 
Clive,  Lord,  7 

Cloudberry,  see  Baked-apple 
Cod,  39, 83,  173,  174,  204,  237, 248, 

271 
Colleroon  River,  81 
Convoy,  Sailing  under,  214,  215, 285 
Cormorant,  173 
Covent  Garden  Theatre,  122 
Cow-parsnip,    82,    eaten   by   black 

bears  only,  277;  346 
Cranberry,  346 
Cranmer,  Archbishop,  xix,  xx 
Crossbill,  193,  223 
Cross-buttock,  110 
Curlew,  Eskimo,  S3,  34,  36,  37,  137, 

207,  282, 320 
Curlew,  Hudsonian,  207 
Currant,  79,  343,  346 

Darby,  Nicholas,  14,  30 
Dartmouth,  Earl  of,  131,  135 
Deer,  see  Caribou 
Deer  fences,  19-22 
Doater,  93,  203,  374 
Docket,  To  strike  a,  315 
Dog-berry,  277,  345 
DoUand,  Pocket,  16 
Dolphin,  136 
Dove,  180,  348 
Dovekie,  153,  259,  373 
Duck  hawk,  44,  262 

Eagle,  106,  178,  197,  348 

Eagle  River,  178,  227,  228,  231-236 

Edwards,  Admiral,  284,  286 

Eel,  341 

Egging,  80,  81,  82,  162,  201,  203, 
216,  217 

Eider,  29,  43,  rate  of  flight,  77-78; 
courtship,  172;  down  of,  267, 
268,  269;  eggs  of,  269;  migra- 
tion, 310,  341 

Eider,  King,  251 

Empetrum  nigrum,  21,  34,  180,  340 

Elliot,  Gov.  John,  332 

Ermine,  see  Weasel 

Erskine,  Baron,  338 


Esquimaux,  13,  14,  15,  16,  28,  30, 
38;  habits,  41-45,  48;  53,  54, 
55;  komatik,  56,  57;  59; 
snow-house,  67-69;  trade  with, 
85-92,  104-107;  sports,  108- 
110;  medical  treatment.  111, 
116;  trip  to  England,  115- 
132;  small-pox,  133-137;  grief, 
138-140,  143,  296,  320;  fatal 
dispute,  328,329;  offer  in  mar- 
riage, 329,  330;  colds,  330;  origin 
of,  352;  357 

Esquimaux  dog,  58,  120,  121 

Exploits  River,  xxii,  19,  22 

Eyre  Island,  51,  62,  69 

Falcon,  262 

Falls  of  Eagle  River,  231,  232,  236 

Falls  of  White  Bear  River,  178,  179, 

205 
Fillbelly  Island,  200 
Fir  balsam,  37,  342-345 
Fire  (of  buildings),  39,  40,  54,  55, 

113-114,  259 
Fire  (forest),  33,  83,  343,344 
Fisher,  223 
Flakes,  374 
Floe  ice,  75,  76,  162-167,  263,  355, 

356,  375 
Flying-fish,  136 
Fox,    Arctic    (also    called    blue    or 

white    fox),    35,    262,    263,    as 

food,  267 
Fox,  Black,  35,  253 
Fox,  Cross,  35,  186,  188,  220,  374 
Fox,  Hon.  Stephen,  127,  128 
Fox,  Red,  35,  62,  as  food,  66;  172, 

188,   robbing  traps,  194;    260, 

265,  266,  267 
Fox,  Silver,  35,  59,  70,  86,  91,  186, 

188  378 
Frostburn,  55,  63,  327,  374 
Funk  Island,  23,  24,  318,  319 

Gannet,  152,  215 
Gannet  Islands,  243,  263 
Gardening,    55,    56,    94,    176,    196, 

227,  295,  339,  340,  358-361 
George's  Coffee-house,  146 
Goat,  intoxicated,  42 
Goose,   Canada,  36,   82,   112,  203, 

219;  quills,  273 
Goose,  Greater  snow,  268 
Gooseberry,  182,  346 
Granby,  Marquis  of,  7,  9,  84 
Gready  Harbour,  240 


INDEX 


383 


Great  Caribou  Island,  02 
Great  Island,  273,  274 
Grimes,  Captain  John,  240-247 
Grouse,  see  Ptarmigan,  Willow- 
Grouse,  Red,  36,  141 
Grouse,  Sharp-tailed,  2GS 
Grouse,  Spruce,  S3,  45,  40,  49,  50, 

73,  297,  S7S 
Guidelou,  Captain,  319,  320 
Guillemot,    Black,    106,    203,    264; 

eggs  of,  209 
Guillemot,  Common,  see  Murre 
Gulls,  40,  79,  197,  254,  377 
Gull.  Great  black-backed,  40,  197, 

377 
GuU,  Ivory,  254 

Hare,  Polar,  45,  162,  163 

Hare,  Varying,  45,  changing  coat, 

192 
Harle,  268 
Harlequin  duck,  29,  43,  95,  154,  159, 

376 
Harp,  257,  375 

Hawke,  Sir  Edward,  xxii,  28,  32 
Henly  Island,  72 
Hermit  beavers,  303 
Heron,  348 

Hinchingbrook  Bay,  168,  310 
Hislop,  Lieut.  William,  6 
Holland,  Lord  and  Lady,  127 
Horned  lark,  158 
Horned  owl,  219 
Hound,  see  Old-squaw 
Howe,  Lord,  xxi 
Humbles,  183 

Hunter,  Dr.  John,  125,  126 
Huntington  Island,  168, 198 

Iceberg.s,  354,  355 

Igloo,  67-69 

Indian  tea,  see  Labrador  tea 

Indians,    see    Beothuks,    Micmacs, 

Mountaineers,  Nascaupccs 
Indians,  Red  or  Wild,  src  Beothuks 
Indians,  term  often  wrongly  applied 

to  EKCjuimaux,  fj.  v. 
Inoculation  for  the  Hmall-pox,  I40 
I.^-Ie  of  Ponds,  167,  171 
Isthmus  Bav,  320,  360 
Ivucktoke  Bay,  248,  261,  268 

JarncH  powder,  59 
Jar,  375 

Jay,    Labrador,    47,    193,    rolibing 
trapH,  195 


Jigger,  374 

Jones,  Surgeon,  44,  63-65 

Juniper,  345 

Killick,  375 

King-duck,  see  Eider,  King 

King  George  III,  122,  126,  127,  130 

Knobler,  183 

Koniatik,  56,  357 

Kyack,  42,  138,  375 

Labour  difficulties,  97, 252,  266,  274, 

275,  323 
Labrador:    A  Poetical  Epistle,  363- 

372 
Labrador,  Definition  of,  339 
Labrador  duck,  45 
Labrador  spar,  347 
Labrador  tea,  70,  343 
Lady,  sec  Harlequin  duck 
Laminaria,  257 
Lance,  576' 
Lane,  Michael,  95 
Larch,  49,  171,  342 
Life-boat  invention,  xxxi 
Lobscouse,  376 

Lodge,  The,  see  Ranger  Lodge 
Lolly,  376 
Longers,  376 
Loon,  31,  269,  376 
Loon,    Red-throated,    36,   89,    177, 

380 
Lord,  sec  Harlequin  duck 
Lynx,  105,  223,  348 

Mackerel,  136 
Mallanl,  27 
Manures,  35S-361 
Marnham  Manor,  xx\'iii,  128 
Marten,  35,  46,  48,  49,  51,   53,  as 

foo<i,  00;  73,  172,  192,  196,  262 
Mary  Harbour,  79,  82 
Mcatlow  mouse,  250,  260 
Mc;ilv  Mountains,  179,251 
Medlar,  302,  311 
Merganser,    Red-breasted,    40,    81, 

S2,  LW,  377 
Micmacs,  24 

Midwiferv,  65,  00,  195,  262 
Mink,  \72,  348,  376 
Mole,  348 
Monivians,  38 

Mosquitoes,  K3,  112,  331,  353 
Mount  Martin,  250 
Mountain  atih,  345 


384 


INDEX 


Mountaineers,  2Jf,  34,  159,  173,  175, 
308,  251,  268,  269,  348-352, 
357  358 

Mount  Martin,  250,  324 

Murre,  133,  379 

Muskrat,  297,  348 

Nascaupees,  24,  34 

Newgate  prisoners,  317,  323,  324, 

327,  328 
Niger  Sound,  63,  64,  70 
Noddy,  118 
Nottinghamshire  militia,  xxv 

Old  squaw,  201,  264,  375 

Ores,  294,  295,  347 

Osier,  345 

Otter,  35,  45,  catching  fish,  50;  54, 
56,  as  food,  66;  71,  75,  81,  82, 
rubbing  places,  35,  377 

Oyster-catcher,  143 

Palliser,  Sir  Hugh,  xxii,  9 
Paradise,    169,    175,   242,  247, 252, 

271,  321,323 
Partridge-berry,  201 
Penguin,  see  Auk,  Great 
Phrippers,  48,  376 
Pied-duck,  see  Labrador  duck 
Pied-bird,  see  Oyster-catcher 
Pigeon,  see  Guillemot,  Black 
Pigeon,  Passenger,  180 
Pike,  170,  226 
Pine  grosbeak,  195 
Pine,  Weymouth,  23 
Pipshy,  85 
Planter,  376 
Plover,  Grey,  137,  207 
Pooler,  377 
Porcupine,  35,  40,  45,  habits,  155- 

156;    quills,  156-158;   as  food, 

158;    224,  225 
Power-loom,  xxvi 
Privateers,  240-247,  270 
Ptarmakin,  see  Ptarmigan,  Rock 
Ptarmigan  (of  Scotland),  36,  142 
Ptarmigan,  Rock,  36,  43,  142,  326, 

377 
Ptarmigan,  Willow,  36,  37,  43,  59, 

changes  in  plumage,   1 41 -142, 

197,  260,  377 
Puffin,  238 
Puppy's  parlour,  95 

Quin,  369 


Quintal,  83 
Quirpon,  319 

Rabbit,  see  Hare 

Racoon,  348 

Ranger,  84,  86,  92 

Ranger  Lodge,  39,  241,  247 

Raspberry,  218,  346 

Raven,  48,  52,  187,  192 

Red-dock,  346 

Reindeer,  see  Caribou 

Reindeer,  European,  20 

Reindeer  lichen,  21 

Rinding,  82,  155,  159,  376,  377 

Robin,  227,  nest  and  eggs  of,  269 

Robinson,  Mrs.,  I4 

Routh,  Richard,  331 

Rye,  Wild,  77,277 

Saddle-back,  see  Gull,  Great  black- 
backed 

Sallad,  Indian,  263,  346 

Sallow,  see  Willow  or  Osier 

Salmon,  S5,  92,  106,  137,  176,  177, 
178,  205,  at  Eagle  River  Falls, 
232;  numbers  and  weight,  272 

Sandpiper,  158,  348 

Sandwich  Bay,  168,  175,  257,  273, 
321 

Saint  Peter's  Bay,  71,  73,  102 

Scoter,  American,  246 

Scoter,  Surf,  81,  202 

Scoter,  White-winged,  81 

Sculpin,  377 

Scurvy,  194 

Scurvy-grass,  346 

Sea-cow,  see  Walrus 

Seals,  45,  51,  59,87,95,96,  137,  161, 
eating  sea-weed,  257;  271 

Seal-nets,  51,  52,  95,  378,  379 

Sea-parrot,  see  Puffin 

Sea-pigeon,  see  Guillemot,  Black 

Selby,  Mrs.,  15,  26,  27,  33,  132,  218, 
262,  divorce,  264,  265;  283,  290 

Sewell,  20,  74,  78,  83,  377 

Shag,  sec  Cormorant 

Shell-bird,  see  Merganser 

Ship  Harbour,  159 

Shrike,  263,  264 

Sled,  Esquimaux  (komatik),  56,  57 

Slink,  83,  105,  378 

Small-pox,  133-137,  I46,  261 

Snipe,  113,  34? 

Snow  (a  saihng  vessel),  93 

Snow-blindness,  71,  72 


IXDEX 


385 


Snow-bunting,  197 
Sparrow,  House,  263 
Spruce-beer,  194,  254,  260 
Spruce-game,  see  Grouse,  Spruce 
Spruce  trees,  81,  37,  49,  of  great 

size,  81;  193,  342-345 
SpudgeU59,  378 
Squid,  317,  379 
Squirrel,  Flving,  99,  202 
Squirrel,  Red,  99 
Staggard,  1S3 
Stint,  300,  301,  379 
Storm,  181,  182,  184,  185,  211,  212. 

284, 288,  311,  312,  313,  333-337 
Stranger,  202,  379 
Strawberry-,  346 
Swallows,  2^6 
Swan,  Whistling,  269 

Table  Bay,  171 

Temple  Bay,  100,  101,  241,  248 

Tern,  23S 

Tickle,  379 

Tinker,  see  Auk,  Razor-billed 

Tom-cod,  3S0 

Trout,  79,  83,  92,  166,  177 

TjTConnel,  Lord,  xxi 


Vails,  XX 

\'enison  Harbour,  161 

Vetches,  27S 

\'oyagc.  Definition  of,  84 

Walrus,  57 

\\' easel,  158 

\\'habby,  see  Loon,  Red-throated 

Whales,  HI,  SSO 

White-Bear  River,    178,  179.    205, 

224,  249 
White-Bear  Sound,  78 
\\\\\ie  whale,  SSO 
Whortle,  sec  Blueberries 
Wigwam,  Indian,  22,  79,  81,  352 
Wildcat,  see  Fisher 
\\  illianis,  John,  33 
Willow,  219,  345 
Wolf,  58,  59,  71,  74,  as  food,  74,  75, 

187;    179,  187;    robbing  traps, 

190;    191,   192,  194,   197,  222, 

261,  262,  273 
Wolverine,  73,  93,  98,  197,  228,  255 
Writh,  299,  380 

Yellow-legs,  Greater,  36,  154,  873 
York  Fort,  28,  71,  77 


► 


DATE  DUE 

.JAN  1  y 

1^0-' 

GAYLOBD 

PRINTED  IN  U    S.A. 

A  A      000  316  529    i 


